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Home > Programs > Trade and Agriculture > WTO Meeting: Doha > Civil Society Groups Call on Countries to Reject Power Politics at Doha |
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Civil Society Groups Call on Countries to Reject Power Politics at Doha and an Expanded AgendaFor Immediate Release: Doha - As Civil Society groups from around the world arrived in Doha for the 4th WTO Ministerial today, they called on ministers in developed and least developed countries (LDCs) to not succumb to bilateral pressure and manipulation by the Quad (U.S., EU, Japan, Canada) over the interests of their own constituencies. As late as last week in Geneva, the majority of developing country blocks made strong statements on the dangerous and power-based process in pushing forth a Draft Text for Doha that did not reflect, even in brackets, the concerns of the majority of the WTO membership. Our Ministers instructions have all been put aside, and the Revised Text provides for negotiations on all the Singapore issues, said Egypt last week amidst a series of criticisms from 30 LDCs, India and others about the poor drafting process. While the Quad messages in the press have consistently used the launching of a round as the answer to the recent global recession and the fight against terrorism, their proposals for the solutions are the same as in Seattle, two years ago. Given the experience of the last six years in the WTO, any economist knows that presenting the launch of a new round as a solution for global recession is a tactic to pressurize countries at this sensitive time. Results of any new negotiations, whether negative or positive, would take effect in 3-5 years at the earliesttoo late to deal with the present recession, said Roberto Bissio, Director of Third World Institute in Uruguay. Civil Society endorsed the positions put forth by developing countries such as India and LDCs and urged their ministers to withstand bilateral pressures and manipulation in Doha. Disguised as the fight against terrorism, Robert Zoellick, US Trade Representive, has shamelessly tried to push fast track authority past Congress prior to Doha and has failed thus far. His delegation is expected to use the same tactic with trade ministers at the meeting. We should not confuse issues. Many African countries are still reeling with the impacts and burdens of the previous round. They should be allowed to make sound decisions for their citizens based on a thorough assessment and without manipulation, said Tetteh Hormeku of the Africa Trade Network. These Civil Society Groups represent a global constituency of third world and developed, advocacy-based, policy, development, gender and environmental organizations and resonate the repeated calls and official statements forwarded by hundreds of NGOs all over the world to reject the blatantly intransigent process leading up to the Ministerial. Sponsors of this Call: Present In Doha:
Others:
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