> >from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >subject: Cuban Economy. IMF World Bank. US workers >© Copyright GRANMA INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL EDITION. La Havana. Cuba > > Economic growth trend will continue > >CARLOS Lage, vice president of the Council of State, stated on March >12 last that the Cuban economy would maintain its growth tendency, >according to a Prensa Latina report from Santiago de Chile, where >Lage traveled at the head of a Cuban delegation to attend the >transfer of presidential power in that country. > >Lage emphasized that this tendency has been in evidence since 1995. >The National Assembly forecast a 4% growth for 2000 and "we believe >it can be maintained." > >At the start of this year Lage, who is also secretary of the >Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers, argued that results >"will depend on a number of factors, including the price of basic >commodities, those imported as well as those exported." > >He underlined that since 1995 Cuba's economic recovery has been under >way "and a key factor in this has been the development of tourism, >due to the importance of its revenue and, even more, due to the >effect that it has had on the rest of the economy, encouraging other >productive sectors. > >"It is important not only that this growth has taken place, but also >that it is being achieved in better organized, better supervised and >more efficient conditions," he stressed. > >He focused on the difficulties confronting the country and many >others related to the situation of prices on the international >market, and gave as an example the rise in oil prices and the drop in >sugar prices. > >Lage went on to say, "This reality has had a negative effect on >Cuba's income. Nevertheless, we have been addressing this situation >successfully." > >During his stay in Chile, Lage completed an intense round of meetings >with representatives of political, economic and social sectors within >that country, including a meeting with the new president, Ricardo >Lagos. After taking part in the reception hosted by Lagos in La >Moneda government palace, he held a meeting with the heads of the >Chilean-Cuban Business Committee and other businesspersons." JC > > ************** > © Copyright GRANMA INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL EDITION. La Havana. Cuba > > Parliamentarians from the South in Havana > United, they will have to listen to us > >BY ALDO MADRUGA (Granma International staff writer) > >THE fact that the three wealthiest people in the world have >accumulated fortunes greater than the total gross domestic product of >48 countries, inhabited by 600 million human beings; or that seven or >eight states control 86% of the planet's gross domestic product, 82% >of its markets and almost 70% of direct foreign investments, appears >to be of no concern whatsoever to the richest nations. > >They behave as if they do not see, as if they cannot hear. And, >precisely, how to make that opulent world, apathetic to the misery of >the overwhelming majority, look toward the South (and not in order to >exploit it further) and hear its demands, was the implicit focus of >discussions here among close to 100 parliamentarians from 25 >countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe on >relations among the countries of the South and with the wealthy North >in the context of globalization. > >This process has provoked fundamental changes in the system of >international relations since World War II, but not to the benefit of >the underdeveloped regions of the world, and at a considerable >distance from theories circulated in the North of a globalization >with equal opportunities for all peoples. > >As was reiterated during the debates, the South continues to be >condemned by neoglobalizing policies to being the scenario of an >indiscriminate extraction of resources; of ever-increasing rather >than arrested poverty; of marginalization; of inequality; and an >abandoned population, thus incubating the virus of violence and >rebellion. > >In other words, a lengthy discussion was not necessary to arrive at >the general consensus that current globalization bears the hallmark >of the neoliberal policies imposed by the rich nations and which >exclude the development of the poor nations. > >However, it was noted at the meeting that this globalization model, >with its deregulated markets, privatizations, freedom of trade and >the free movement of capital, should not be seen as something >invariable and definitive, but as a situation that could be changed >through political struggle in the context of each country and at >international level. Or, in terms of the South, it must be injected >with a process of solidarity, cooperation and sustainable >development. > >For that reason, many voices were heard in this workshop advocating >profound economic, political and social changes to counteract the >prevailing inequality and poverty in the heart of the countries of >the South, despite the indifference of the rich nations. > >This is the way things are and, of the North loses some of its >egotism and cedes part of its abundant wealth to the South, those >most benefiting will also be its wealthy sectors and not precisely >the most needy. > >On the other hand, it was made abundantly clear that neoliberal >recipes handed out to the poor nations by the rich nations are not >working, as those who have accepted them have discovered that, in >practice, these formulas have not solved their problems but, in the >majority of cases, have led to social upheavals and growing >discontent on the part of the only people sacrificed by them: the >poorest, who are left abandoned. > >In all of this, the external debt continues to be a heavy burden >without any solution weighing over development and steadily sinking >the overwhelming majority into despair and misery, as many speakers >acknowledged. > >Welcoming the participants in this workshop, Cuban Deputy Jorge >Lezcano emphasized that now is the time for the poor nations to fully >understand that only when they unite will the rich ones hear their >demands, and that this is the only way to successfully defend the >right to life, development, culture, social justice and the >happiness. > >The South Summit is a magnificent opportunity for advancing toward >this objective, with agreement on positions at the highest political >level among the countries belonging to this pillaged region of the >planet, and everything seems to indicate that it is one that will not >be wasted, given the consensus achieved by the parliamentarians who >came to Havana. > > ************* > >from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >subject: Our demands of the IMF and World Bank. US Workers >X-From_: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thu Mar 16 11:01:36 2000 >Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: "Karen Lee Wald" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "mike weaver" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Fw: The WTO, not China, threatens U.S. workers >Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 > >I am SO glad someone finally said (wrote) this. I second it. It's >what I was feeling all during the time I was preparing for and in >Seattle but couldn't think of an articulate way to express it. >--Karen > >-----Original Message----- >From: Anuradha Mittal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: March 15, 2000 5:34 AM >Subject: The WTO, not China, threatens U.S. workers > > Copyright 2000 Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service > Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Knight Ridder/Tribune > March 11, 2000, Saturday SECTION: COMMENTARY > > The WTO, not China, threatens U.S. workers > By Anuradha Mittal and Peter Rosset > > The campaign against China's entry into the World Trade Organization >is a distraction. > > The AFL-CIO recently announced a major, multiyear campaign on >this issue. Yet it is not China but free-trade agreements themselves >that threaten U.S. workers. > > It is not surprising that Western labor unions are concerned about >the growing number of jobs leaving their countries. But they need to >point the finger at U.S. support for trade agreements such as the >WTO and NAFTA, rather than at other countries. Let's not forget that >NAFTA has eliminated more than 400,000 jobs in the United States, >according to research by our institute. The manufacturing sector >alone lost 341,000 jobs in 1999, according to a report put out by >the U.S. Department of Commerce this February. The WTO and NAFTA are >the cause of unemployment and poor working conditions, and they will >remain so whether China is a member of the WTO or not. > > Those castigating China and other developing countries need to >recognize that it is hypocritical for the United States to use trade >sanctions to punish countries that violate human rights. They forget >the fact that the United States itself has yet to ratify the >International Covenant for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the >Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the Convention on >the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. And >yet, we assume moral authority when it comes to human rights. > > The United States has, in many instances, acted like the rogue >nations it criticizes. Other WTO members could very well be offended >by the terrible conditions faced by farm workers in parts of the >United States, or by prison labor and sweatshops here. Any member >country could say that U.S. law, which makes it possible to execute >a teenager or a person with mental disability, is an offense against >humanity. These and other charges might form the justification for >an embargo on U.S. exports or for its expulsion from the WTO. > > Most Third World environmentalists and labor groups have >consistently opposed trade sanctions as a way of enforcing >environmental and labor rules because trade sanctions are inherently >an inegalitarian tool. They can be used only by rich countries >against the poor ones. Any attempt on the part of India or Nigeria >or Brazil to apply trade sanctions against the United States, the >world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, would not get far. > > The campaign against China is a disservice to those in >developing countries who are challenging their own governments to >ensure basic human rights for all. It puts Third World opponents of >the WTO in the awkward position of seeming to promote a U.S. agenda >and of working against the interests of the poor in their own >countries. > > Corporate globalization will never be effectively countered without >a movement that crosses international boundaries. Only when workers >and environmentalists work together in every country where a company >does business will it be possible to place human beings and the >environment on par with profits. The American labor and >environmental movements need to give up their single-country >bashing. Otherwise potential allies around the world will wonder if >their home country will be the next one singled out, and >international alliances will be that much harder to build. > > Of course, it is appropriate to castigate China or any other country >for accepting only those human rights that suit its regime's >political and economic interests. However, a campaign against China >is not going to be of much benefit to workers in either country. >While China should have the same right as any nation to join the >WTO, we should recognize that the WTO is bad for people everywhere, >whether Chinese, American, Mexican or Indian. > > It's not China joining the WTO that hurts American workers _ it is >the WTO itself. Let's keep our focus on the real enemy. > > ABOUT THE WRITERS Anuradha Mittal and Peter Rosset are based at >Food First/Institute for Food and Development >Policy (<http://www.foodfirst.org www.foodfirst.org) in Oakland, >Calif. They are the editors of the recently published book "America >Needs Human Rights" (Food First Books). They can be reached >at pmproj(at)progressive.org, or by writing to Progressive Media >Project, 409 East Main St., Madison, Wis. 53703. > > This article was prepared for The Progressive Media Project and >is available to KRT subscribers. Knight Ridder/Tribune did not >subsidize the writing of this column; the opinions are those of the >writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Knight >Ridder/Tribune or its editors. > >Enlighten your in-box. http://www.topica.com/t/15 " JC > > > > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
