Regjeringen og NHO hevder at Harbinson og Moores kupp-artede forslag
til uttalelse i Doha er «balansert» og i u-landenes interesse, og at
alle som er mot en ny WTO-runde er fiender av u-landene.
WTO-propagandistene i de rådende medier tuter ørene våre fulle med det
samme budskapet. Aldri får man noensinne høre hva u-landene selv
mener. Sensuren er bortimot total.
Det samme gjenspeiler seg i de offisielle forhandlingene. USA, EU
(med Norge på slep) og Japan setter dagsorden, og enstemmige protester
fra u-landene blir ignorert.
India truer nå med å trekke seg helt ut av WTO i protest. Lignende,
sterke uttalelser mot Harbinson/Moore-kuppet har kommet fra Tanzania
(på vegne av MUL-landene), Zimbabwe (på vegne av Afrika), Zambia,
Nigeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Barbados m.fl.
Det er dette WTO-propagandistene bør konfronteres med. I dagene
fremover bør ATTAC og andre WTO-kritikere være fullstendig monomane på
dette, med kun dette ene budskapet: Lytt ikke til oss, lytt til
u-landene selv -- både deres regjeringer og ngo-er. Igjen og igjen og
igjen må man forklare at de som vet best hvor skoen trykker er de som
har den på -- så nå må for pokker deres eget budskap komme frem, ikke
propagandistenes arrogante påstand om at de vet best.
WTO-kampanjen i vestlige land må på dette tidspunktet fullstendig
underordnes u-landenes prioriteringer. Kun slik kan en ny runde
forhindres, og en hindrer at f.eks. EU lykkes i en splitt-og-hersk
taktikk ved å forsøke å få f.eks. miljø og arbeid inn.
jonivar
To: StopWTORound <StopWTORound@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Sat, 03 Nov 2001 09:57:16 +0000
Subject: [StopWTORound] India threatens to walk out of WTO
India threatens to walk out of WTO
From: Steve Wagner <lakemerrittneighbors@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 21:51:09 -0800 (PST)
http://www.timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=1391129490
India threatens to walk out of WTO
TIMES NEWSNETWORK
NEW DELHI: Stung by the draft ministerial declaration (DMD) for the
November 9-13 Doha meeting of the World Trade Organisation which
mandates the launch of negotiations in new areas, commerce minister
Murasoli Maran lashed out at the WTO and its secretariat and even
threatened India's withdrawal from the world body.
The DMD's provisions were reported in The Times of India
Wednesday. Maran's comments seem timed to coincide with the `senior
official level consultations' underway at WTO headquarters in
Geneva. The Indian team would obviously have delivered a similar
message there. Voicing strong opposition to the attempt of the
developed countries to bypass developing countries in imposing issues
like investment, competition, government procurement and environment
on the WTO's future negotiation agenda, Maran said, "If we have no say
in setting the agenda, why should we be there?"
He was speaking at a book release function here Wednesday.
Maran, who will lead the Indian delegation to the Doha conference of
trade ministers from over 140 countries, made it clear India did not
mind being isolated in its opposition to the new WTO agenda. He saw
the possibility of the developed countries arm-twisting the developing
ones at Doha, as had happened at Punta del Este and Singapore. He also
saw "some of the developing countries deserting us". He, however, made
it clear that India would stand firm in opposing negotiations on new
issues even if it is isolated.
"I do not think one billion people (India) can be isolated", he said
and recalled the CTBT negotiations to point out that India will not
budge. "We want implementation issues arising out of the inequities of
the present WTO agreements to be addressed. We do not want
negotiations to start on new issues", he said.
The minister denied that India is not being "constructive". He said:
"We are constructive. But first we should prevent the evilness of
WTO". Maran reiterated that he saw WTO as a "necessary
evil". Necessary because it provides for most-favoured nation
treatment and rule-based multilateral trade regime. But it is an evil
because "it wants to curb our sovereignty and cut our jobs." He said
the DMD showed that the WTO is becoming a "power-based" organisation
instead of being a "rule-based" body. He said the neutrality of the
WTO secretariat is also now doubtful. "We do not know who is making
these drafts (DMD). How many drafts will come. The developing
countries have no role in setting the agenda", he added
____________________________
(c) 2001, The Times of India
http://www.timesofindia.com
-- When God wants to punish a country, he makes them invade Afghanistan. -- Afghan epigram
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