RESIST THE FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS (FTAA)
Before 'the talk,' officials call for a pretalk (Oct. 31, 2003 / Miami Herald) "U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick has proposed a last-minute ''mini-ministerial'' for Nov. 8, about a week ahead of the Miami trade summit, in an attempt to bridge differences with Brazil over the scope of the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas...."
‘Free trade’ not what it seems (Oct. 31, 2003 / People's Weekly World) "...Bethany Weidner is part of a caravan that left Washington State in September. In her online journal, she reports an interview with a rancher in Meadows, S.D. In a video, planned for showing in Miami, the rancher says as a result of NAFTA, the price of beef dropped from 87 cents a pound to 38 cents, far below the cost of production. FTAA, he says, will only benefit corporations, drive ranchers off their land, and destroy small farming communities...."
Free Trade Area of the Americas stumbling blocks remain (Oct. 30, 2003 / Atlanta Journal Consititution)
U.S. cannot spurn Brazil, experts say (Oct. 30, 2003 / Miami Herald) "...Trinidad and Tobago Consul Harold Robertson... voiced concern that [consensus process employed in making decision on future headquarters of FTAA] might mean that the location would be used as a bargaining chip by the region's biggest players in closed-door negotiations...."; see also: Thorny Issues Remain in Free Trade Talks; Trinidad Looks to Land Headquarters (Oct. 30, 2003 / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Brazil takes cotton war to US (Oct. 30, 2003 / BBC)
Ecuador seeks accord (Oct. 29, 2003 / Miami Herald) - With proposals for a bilateral treaty with the U.S. and hemispheric adoption of U.S. dollar, President Guitiérrez confirms all those accusations of his being a sell-out.
Canada fears Americas trade talks could unravel (Oct. 28, 2003 / Reuters) "A nearly decade-old plan for a Western Hemisphere free trade agreement could fall apart next month because of Brazil's reluctance to negotiate in certain areas, Canadian officials said on Tuesday....[Canada's chief FTAA negotiator Claude Carriere] said Canada agrees with the United States that domestic farm subsidies can only be addressed in World Trade Organization, but thinks there is some room to negotiate on anti-dumping rules within the FTAA." (in other words, Canada will go along with the U.S. desire to portray Brazil as the 'bad guy'...but at the same time Canada wants to play power broker).
U.S. will have to make concessions for FTAA, panelists say (Oct. 28, 2003 / Miami Herald) Miami Herald reporting on its 'Americas Conference' -- an extended free-trade cheering session. See also: Farm subsidies seen as central to FTAA (Oct. 29, 2003 / Miami Herald); FTAA provisions divide conferees (Oct. 29, 2003 / South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Free trade pact not a boon for women, panel warns (Oct. 28, 2003 / Miami Herald) "...According to Jennifer Mandel, a UM professor of geography and regional studies, multinational corporations prefer female workers at Latin American manufacturing plants, because they are willing to work for less, and 'are regarded as more docile.' This, in turn, produces greater male unemployment, leading to greater alcoholism and domestic violence. 'Free trade and globalization may have given women more autonomy, but they have led to the feminization of poverty and labor.' "
Summit on trade challenges president (Oct. 26, 2003 / South Florida Sun-Sentinel) "... the Bush administration is expected to bargain hard for a trade pact behind the scenes while the president himself keeps a low profile on the issue until after the 2004 election. Bush's negotiators say they are striving for an accord by January 2005, a long-standing goal.... The jobless economic recovery since Bush took office, however, has fueled anti-trade resentments in much of the country. The labor department reported this month a net loss of 336,000 jobs this year. The nation's manufacturing sector lost 2.7 million jobs since June of 2000, according to the Institute for Supply Management...."
Professionals strong on Lula and Lagos(Oct. 26, 2003 / Miami Herald) In a survey of Latin American professionals, "51 percent said that free trade with the United States benefits North America the most, while only 8 percent said it favored Latin America." And keep in mind that's just the upper class speaking....; see also: Poll: Latin America Has Dismal View of Bush (Oct. 28, 2003 / Reuters)
Some areas really miss tariff (Oct. 26, 2003 / Miami Herald) "...Haiti, the hemispheres poorest nation, with a per capita income of less than $1 a day, is also home to the hemispheres most open market. Neighboring Caribbean countries protect their chicken and rice farmers with 40 percent tariffs, but foreign agribusinesses pay no more than a 5 percent tariff at Haitian ports.... At its height, Haiti's chicken agribusiness hatched 6 million eggs a year and bought thousands of tons of local corn. But suddenly the country opened itself to the cheap dark chicken and turkey meat that finicky Americans wont buy. No tariffs, no quotas, no subsidies to local producers. American companies sold more than $17 million worth of poultry and parts here last year alone. Haiti's chicken industry went beak-up...." A MUST-READ ARTICLE.
Smaller countries seek consideration (Oct. 26, 2003 / Miami Herald) "...Caribbean officials suggest that... they need ''special and differential'' treatment if they are to survive among the sharks...." Article focussing on Caribbean FTAA concerns.
Washington's vendetta (Oct. 25, 2003 / Frontline) Walden Bello enumerates some of the underhanded tactics being employed by the U.S. in its effort to undermine solidarity within the G21 bloc of developing countries.
Talks bring hemispheric agreement closer to reality (Oct. 25, 2003 / Houston Chronicle) Semiliterate article from Texas praises divide-and-conquer free-trade strategies.
Repeat: US Trade Rep: FTAA To Advance Even With Opt Outs (Oct. 24, 2003 / DowJones) "U.S. Deputy Trade Secretary Peter Allgeier reiterated Friday his recent comments that the hemisphere-wide Free Trade of the Americas Accord will go ahead even if some countries in the region - including Brazil and Argentina - reject a deal.... Meanwhile [Argentina's top trade official, Martin] Redrado said Argentina is "fully committed" to an FTAA start date of Jan. 1, 2005. The comment comes two days after Foreign Minister Bielsa said that while he "prefers" not to miss deadline, it would be better to reach an accord later than to strike a bad deal.
U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Optimistic on Trade Pact (Oct. 24, 2003 / AP)
Brazil Negotiator: FTAA Government-Purchase Rules Restrictive (Oct. 23, 2003 / DowJones) "[Brazil's lead FTAA negotiator Adhemar] Bahadian said that if Brazil accepted proposals under consideration in the talks, the country would be forced to make concessions on purchases ranging from equipment for the state-controlled Petroleo Brasileiro S/A oil company, or Petrobras, to ingredients for public school-lunch programs....Also Thursday, Bahadian criticized the U.S stance on intellectual property and investment. "
Marching to Miami: Stop the FTAA! (Oct. 23, 2003 / People's Weekly World Newspaper) "As far as working families are concerned, nothing good came out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Economic Policy Institute estimates that NAFTA has cost 765,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs since 1993...."
Argentina Government: Won't Weaken Brazil Ties For Trade Favors (Oct. 22, 2003 / DowJones) "Argentina's foreign minister, Rafael Bielsa... warned [his country] would not compromise its relationship with Brazil for favors from Washington. Bielsa's comments come as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier arrives in Argentina on Thursday for talks on the hemisphere-wide Free Trade of the Americas Agreement. Local reports have indicated that the U.S. official would promise progress on bilateral trade matters in return for Argentina adopting a more positive attitude to the FTAA than has Brazil...."
U.S., Brazil Play Brinksmanship in FTAA Talks (Oct. 21, 2003 / Reuters); Brazil, US still sharply at odds over planned regional free trade (Oct. 22, 2003 / AFP) "...Allgeier reiterated the US position that Washington and the rest of the region will move ahead with or without Brazil...."
Activists warn of peril to jobs in trade pact (Oct. 19, 2003 / Miami Herald) "... workshop organizers said the FTAA will give companies unprecedented freedom to sue state and national governments over labor and environmental laws, as well as claiming damages measured by potential -- not proven -- profits. The workshop was told that the FTAA calls for trade disputes to be settled in secret tribunals, as in NAFTA...."
Our Own Vision of an FTAA (Oct. 18, 2003 / Financial Times) "[Celso Amorim, Brazilian foreign minister] said he was disappointed by U.S. accusations that Brazil was isolated. 'It is like negotiating a trade deal with Asia and saying China and India are isolated. What is the point?'...."
Time to listen to our neighbors (Oct. 17, 2003 / Miami Herald) "...Real manufacturing wages have declined in Mexico by 12 percent since the North American Free Trade Agreement, and 45 percent of all new jobs do not have even those benefits mandated by Mexican law. Environmental conditions, too, have deteriorated. The Mexican government estimates that the economic costs of environmental degradation have amounted to 10 percent of annual GDP, or $36 billion per year...."
Trade Reps Discuss Free Trading Zone (Oct. 17, 2003 / AP) "Foreign trade representatives from five South American countries met Friday with business leaders in Atlanta, which wants to be the headquarters for a Western Hemisphere free trade zone. The gathering with trade ministers and Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiators from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela included a roundtable with Atlanta corporate leaders, including representatives of Delta Air Lines and Equifax...."
Argentina, Brazil Sign Accords On Economic, Trade Policy (Oct. 16, 2003 / DowJones) "...The document also dealt directly with the U.S.-backed negotiations toward a Free Trade Area of the Americas. It promoted the use of Mercosur to ensure FTAA recognizes different responsibilities for the region's developed and developing countries...."; See also: Brazil, Argentina OK pact (Oct. 17, 2003 / AP)
Brazil May Adopt Conciliatory Tone At FTAA's Miami Round (Oct. 13, 2003 / DowJones) "...Key ministers in President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government are demanding a greater role in efforts to craft the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. They blame the foreign ministry, which has long controlled trade policy, for causing FTAA meetings held in Trinidad this month to fail. Rumors are swirling that Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes, the second in command at Brazil's foreign ministry and an historic FTAA opponent, will be marginalized and possibly demoted...."
Analysis: Crunch time for Bolivia leader (Oct. 13, 2003 / BBC)
Canada Sees World Trade Talks Stalled Next Year (Oct. 8, 2003 / Reuters)
Canada, U.S., Mexico reject customs union as next step (Oct. 8, 2003 / Globe&Mail)
FTAA Talks in Trinidad End with Big Differences (Oct. 4, 2003 / Reuters)
U.S. Hopes Brazil Tiff Won't Derail FTAA Trade Talks (Sept. 25, 2003 / Reuters) "...The United States has blamed Brazil, as a leader of the so-called G21 group of developing countries, for poisoning the atmosphere at the recent World Trade Organization meeting in Cancun, Mexico and delivering harsh rhetoric that made it more difficult for countries to reach a deal..."
Can G22 Bloc of Developing Nations Survive? (Sept. 23, 2003 / IPS)
Farm Subsidy Issue Could Undermine FTAA - Canada (Sept. 23, 2003 / Reuters) "...Pettigrew said he would be very surprised if an FTAA agreement were reached by the scheduled date of January 2005."
Citrus, sugar industries cast eye toward Miami (Sept. 19, 2003 / Miami Herald)
Bush courts FTAA support (Sept. 17, 2003 / Miami Herald)
Worries over FTAA post-WTO (Sept. 16, 2003 / Miami Herald)
Talks collapse as countries clash on issues (Sept. 15, 2003 / Miami Herald)
Latin Bishops Launch Broadside against Free Trade Area (Sept. 5, 2003 / IPS) "The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) looks less like a true regional integration project than a ''neo-colonialist'' plan that will make poor communities even poorer and will not respect national sovereignty, said the Catholic bishops of the members of South America's largest trade bloc...."
Brazil Apologizes After Pie Hits Face Of USTR's Allgeier (Aug. 29, 2003 / Dow Jones) "The attack left half of Allgeier's face and suit jacket covered with marshmallow cream. The pie protest was carried out in Rio de Janeiro Thursday by a university student who said he belonged to an anti-globalization group called Bakers Without Borders...."
Call Made for South American Trade Bloc (August 26, 2003 / AP)
Andean leaders aim to build new free trade zone by year's end (June 28, 2003 / AFP) "...A joint summit of Mercosur and Andean Community leaders will be held in July or August at a location that still remains to be determined, according to the agreement. The summit is expected to help Latin Americans come up with a joint strategy in free trade talks with the United States, as the North and the South try to reach their goal of creating a Free Trade Area of the Amricas, a common market with about 800 million consumers, by the end of 2005; Brazil's Lula Urges S.America to Team Up (June 28, 2003 / AP) "...Brazil's president told a summit of South American leaders they must merge the continent's two largest trading blocs to force the United States into granting concessions in upcoming free trade negotiations...."
Le Québec face à l'ALENA et à la ZLEA (27 juin, 2003 / Le Devoir)
Colombia urges Andean members to forge ahead on Mercosur deal (June 27, 2003 / AFP) Lula's participation at the Andean summit underscores his interest in forming a separate bloc of Latin American countries to give some counterbalance to the United States in negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
The Caribbean and free trade (June 23, 2003 / The Week in Europe) "...Sir Shridath Ramphal, the Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, the past Chief Negotiator for external trade negotiations and a former Commonwealth Secretary General...set out his view that a fundamentalist US-led trade agenda was endangering the future of the Caribbean by leading it precipitously into a decision on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)...."
Brazil Jumps Back On FTAA's 2005 Bandwagon (June 23, 2003 / Dow Jones)
Mercosur Beats Integration Drum, But Implements Little (June 19, 2003 / Dow Jones)
Officials Talk Americas Free Trade Amid WTO Uncertainty (June 16, 2003 / DowJones)
Trade reps from the Americas split on free trade zone schedule (June 14, 2003 / AFP) "...Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim however argued that the FTAA deadlines should be postponed, and all outstanding issues -- including services, investments, and government purchases, as well as agriculture and dumping allegations -- should be handled by the WTO, or if necessary, resolve them in bilateral talks.... Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez late Saturday proposed postponing the final implementation of the FTAA until 2010...."
Venezuelan Diplomat: Chavez Wants In On Mercosur (June 16, 2003 / DowJones)
Trade ministers agree to go home (June 14, 2003 / Miami Herald)
Trade-talk buzzwords: Scale back (June 13, 2003 / Miami Herald) - "...Regional negotiators have suggested a scaled-back approach, a sort of FTAA Lite, with the tough issues punted to talks in the World Trade Organization. Another idea would be to stretch out the timeline, targeting 2007. Or negotiators could do both. 'They are trying to come up with something to salvage the process,' said Thomas O'Keefe, president of the Mercosur Consulting Group in Washington...."
Hemispheric Trade Talks Going Slow (June 13, 2003 / AP) "...Brazil, Argentina and other Latin American countries have complained that the Bush administration is refusing to make adequate offers to lower U.S. trade barriers in such politically sensitive areas as citrus and other farm products, steel, textiles and other manufactured goods.... Brazil wants the talks proceed on three tracks — the FTAA negotiations, global trade liberalization talks under the WTO and a bilateral free trade deal among the United States and the four countries of the Mercosur trade bloc — Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The Bush administration has emphasized its goal of getting a comprehensive free trade agreement under the FTAA and using that deal as leverage to achieve greater reductions of trade barriers in the World Trade Organization negotiations....Antitrade critics have complained that more than half the 34 countries in the FTAA negotiations were excluded from this week's gathering, and they said the decision to hold the talks at a remote conference center 70 miles from Washington in Wye River, Md., was designed to limit news coverage. "
Western Hemisphere Trade Session Convened (June 12, 2003 / AP)
Argentine, Brazilian Leaders Promise Stronger Mercosur (June 11, 2003 / DowJones)
International trade minister pronounces end of anti-globalization movement (June 6, 2003 / CP) Acknowledging that "anti-globalization" is a misnomer, Corporate Pett calls a press conference to get snooty about it.
Doubts Abound That FTAA Will See Daylight By 2005 (May 30, 2003 / DowJones) "...skepticism about the formal timeline abounds. 'Nobody but the administration in Washington talks about it with a straight face,' said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Institute For International Economics in Washington, D.C. ...."; See also : U.S, Brazil Discuss Trade Zone Options (May 28, 2003 / AP), and for some real insight into what is actually going on, see: Zoellick Demands FTAA Completion by 2005, Rejects U.S.-Mercosur Bilateral (May 28, 2003 / Estado de Sao Paulo). Note in this last article the mention of an FTAA mini-ministerial scheduled for Maryland in mid-June.
Caribbean Official: Too Many Food Imports (May 29, 2003 / AP) "...Currently, the region is importing $2.7 billion in food products, a sharp increase from 1975 when it spent $370,000 on food imports... Many leaders have argued for pushing back the 2005 deadline for establishing the FTAA, saying they need more time to prepare their small economies for competition with the 34 members, especially larger ones such as the United States and Brazil...."
U.S., Chile to Sign Trade Deal in Miami (May 27, 2003 / AP) For some context on the Bush administration's sudden turnaround regarding the Chile FTA, see: International Paper Urges Signing of FTA between U.S. and Chile (May 30, 2003 / ASEJ). 'Milestone' in Miami: U.S., Chile sign free-trade pactmovement (June 7, 2003 / Miami Herald) ''It's very weak on worker's rights, it's problematic on investment, it's bad on temporary entry [of workers]; we're concerned about the capital controls,'' said Thea Lee, assistant director for international economics at the AFL-CIO.
Venezuela's Chavez Slams Pan-American Trade Pact (May 24, 2003 / Reuters) "Venezuela is on the side of the people and we propose a new integration system that is definitely not the FTAA which, as it has been put forward, is a perverse mechanism that would be a death order for the future of the region," Chavez told Reuters in an interview.... Chavez proposed instead a social and political pact called the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, named after Simon Bolivar, the 19th century general who struggled in vain to politically unite South America.
Existence of 'Latin America' debated in region (May 22, 2003 / Miami Herald) ''Latin America is a concept that has been superseded,'' Brazil's ambassador to Washington, Rubens Barbosa, said at a May 2 conference in Miami.
Les groupes d'opposants préparent une campagne de mobilisation - La ZLEA ne perd rien pour attendre (22 mai, 2003 / Le Devoir) "Les organisateurs de la manifestation contre le Sommet des Amériques, à Québec, au printemps 2001, s'accordent deux ans pour faire renaître dans la population le même mouvement d'opposition à la Zone de libre-échange des Amériques (ZLEA)...."
IMF Wants More from Brazil (May 2003 / Brazzil) - "...The new recipe for Brazil and the region includes a focus on social programs (cutting programs to benefit other aspects of the economy), prioritizing agencies that regulate privatized businesses, and the acceptance of the Free Trade Act of the Americas (FTAA) initiative. [Managing director of the IMF Horst] Köhler indicated that the "first priority of Brazil and the Latin American region should be the strengthening of commerce and a commitment to implementation of the FTAA".... Social and pastoral movements are working to convoke an official national plebiscite on the FTAA. An unofficial national plebiscite on the FTAA was held in 2002 with over 10 million Brazilians voting. Over 9, 980,000 voted against FTAA."
Pour les États-Unis - Le libre-échange, arme de la quatrième guerre mondiale (15 mai, 2003 / Le Devoir)
Brevetage des végétaux: entre débats et traités (14 mai, 2003 / Le Devoir) "...le gouvernement canadien est impliqué dans diverses négociations internationales sur le brevetage des animaux et des végétaux. Ainsi, l'avant-projet de Zone de libre-échange des Amériques (ZLEA) contient des propositions qui imposeraient la brevetabilité des formes de vie supérieures à l'échelle de l'hémisphère...."
Newly Developed Police Tactics to Counter Direct Action at Mass Demonstrations (May 13, 2003 / Montreal Indymedia) In the February 2003 issue of The Police Chief, an article entitled “Velvet Gloves and Iron Fists, Taking the Violence out of Major International Protests” described new strategies and tactics developed and implemented by Canadian police and security agencies during the 2002 G8 meetings to counter what they see as the growing use of direct action on the part of anti-globalization and anti-capitalist demonstrators at major protests against international institutions.
Bush aide predicts successful Miami FTAA meeting (May 13, 2003 / Reuters) - "...Last week, the General Accounting Office... resources and expertise to prepare for the meeting [in Miami]. The report also noted that countries remained far apart on important issues, including how to handle the issue of domestic farm subsidies in the talks...."
Mexican foreign minister is thinking small (May 11, 2003 / Toronto Star)
In search of support for FTAA (May 10, 2003 / Miami Herald) - "...Congress' investigative arm, the General Accounting Office, delivered a 59-page report Thursday to Congress warning that the administration ''should intensify preparations'' if it expects to achieve success in the trade talks. The report suggested that the U.S. Trade Representative's office might be understaffed and underfinanced even for handling an FTAA trade ministerial meeting set for Miami in November...."
WTO members consider two mini-ministerials before Cancun meeting (May 9, 2003 / World Trade Online - Inside US Trade) - "Members of the World Trade Organization that met in Paris last week are considering an additional mini-ministerial in July ... which could take place in Montreal...."
Atlanta seeks to beat Miami for secretariat (May 8, 2003 / Miami Herald)
Argentina Voices Doubts On Americas Free Trade Progress (May 7, 2003 / Dow Jones)
Iraq war could help world trade: Pettigrew (May 7, 2003 / Gazette) Tell it to the bereaved Iraqis, Pett.
La ZLEA en péril (6 mai 2003 / Le Devoir) - rapport sur les paroles de César Gaviria, secrétaire général de l'Organisation des États américains (OEA), à la Conférence de Montréal hier.
Initial Strategic Environmental Assessment Report of the Free Trade Area of the Americas Negotiations (May 5, 2003 / Govt. of Canada)
UNH speakers charge NAFTA puts corporate rights ahead of democracy (May 5, 2003 / Foster's Daily Democrat)
New Trade Battles Loom with Mexico (May 2, 2003 / AgricultureLaw)
U.S. Says Easier Canada Pot Laws Could Hit Trade (May 2, 2003 / Reuters)
See: FTAA 2002-2003 for previous archives