-Caveat Lector- From: ncas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: NCAS Campaign Alert on WTO & Seattle Round of Trade Negotiations Date: Wednesday, October 13, 1999 1:03 PM Dear Friends: The trade ministries from 135 countries will meet throughout December 1999 at Seattle for wide-ranging talks related the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The Seattle Round of Trade Negotiations will affect the people of the South since the outcome seek to influence most international economic transactions in the coming years. If the proposals of the North particularly the USA are adopted the members of WTO will be obliged to change their national and domestic policies and laws. The WTO since its inception is busy rewriting the constitutions of most countries and undermining parliaments and democracy in the interest of promoting indiscriminate free made. To counter this process building up peoples resistance vital. In this context, some of us took the initiative of bringing out a statement of concern calling the Government of India not to succumb to the pressures of the North. As a part of our initiative towards campaign support, we are sending this statement of concerns, to you to be widely circulated and to get signatures to be then sent to the Ministry of Commerce, at the following address: Ministry of Commerce Udyog Bhawan NEW DELHI 110 011 Phone : 011-3015299 / 3016917 E-mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] We would be grateful if you send us a copy of the signed memorandum to NCAS. Hope you will collaborate in this effort. Looking forward to hearing from you. In Solidarity, John Samuel NCAS Team. =================================================================== A STATEMENT OF CONCERN: BEWARE OF THE SNARE AT SEATTLE The World Trade Organisation (WTO) that seeks to regulate principally all world trade and to an (increasing) extent all international economic relations, is poised for a new turn. Trade ministers from 135 countries will meet through out December 1999 at Seattle, Washington, USA for wide ranging talks related to the WTO. The Seattle Round or Millennium Round of trade negotiations is crucial, particularly for the countries and peoples of the South the outcome seeks to influence most international economic transactions in the coming years. If the proposals of the developed countries, particularly the USA, are adopted the member countries of WTO will be obliged to change their national, domestic policies and laws. Ostensibly designed to create a uniform global investment and economic climate this measure will mean the further erosion of economic sovereignty of the development countries, including India. The proposed agenda of the Seattle Round leaves no room for doubt that the economics of the developing countries face a new attack in the new millennium. The Experience So Far: We the Losers The WTO with super sovereign judicial power has been a decisive step in the globalisation of capitalist economy. The experience of the Indian people as regards WTO over the past five year is not particularly pleasant. It had promised to raise standards of living and ensure full employment, to ensure steady growth in real income and effective demand; optimal utilisation of world resources; guarantee of a share for the developing and the least developed countries in international trade. None of these promises have so far been fulfilled, nor are there any indications that any progress has been towards these goals. On the contrary the trend is that the progress towards this goal has been thwarted by the discriminatory policies followed by several developed countries to block exports from the developing countries through anti-dumping and other related measures. Despite the ballads sung by the bards of globalisation it is seen that the imports of India have increased far more than the exports between 1994-95 to 1997-98 and the balance of payments position has worsened. The ratio of exports to imports has deteriorated. There has been no increase in the country�s share of world exports; compared to 1980 the percentage has, in fact, declined. The foreign investment flows (FDIs) have increased but mainly in the portfolio (shares and stocks) sectors. The outflows towards fees for technical know-how, royalties and dividends have also registered marked increase. The net in-flow of capital is not spectacular Agriculture is perhaps the worst sufferer. The only gain has been in the export of rice. All other commodities have suffered. The link with global market has, in fact, introduced an unprecedented vulnerability in Indian agriculture. Farmers chasing the mirage of cash crops and (direct or indirect) exports have faced ruination; a number of them committed suicide last year. The component of imports has increased and with it dependence on multinational corporations. The genetically modified �terminator� seeds and other similar products have pushed the farmers into a servitude of the large corporations. The Millennium Round takes place on these background. The Agenda: Overt and Hidden There are two parts of the agenda at Seattle. One consists of �old issues�, viz., * Dispute Settlement Understanding * Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and * Trade Related Investment Measures (TRIMS) The other part consist of eight �new issues� pushed hard by the developed countries. There are: * industrial tariffs * market access, * e-commerce, * social clause (environment and labour), * transparency in government procurements, * multilateral agreement on investment (MAI) * trade and competition policy and * trade facilitation The Trap of India These issues are of great concern to the people of India. * TRIPS has been a controversial measure, particularly as far as the patenting of life forms (including plans), is concerned, It seriously violates the traditional rights of communities and peoples. It also attacks sustenance and subsistence agriculture and related livelihood practices. * MAIL seeks to remove all restrictions from the entry and operation of foreign capital, minimal as they are at the moment. It seeks to make it impossible for developing countries to protect their own commodities and production, to reserve any spheres for domestic operation, to impose any restriction on inflow and outflow and speculative capital, restrict foreign ownership of land and real estate. * The item on competition policy similarly seeks to remove all preference to local enterprise, the including government agencies and undertaking. * The social clause issue sounds lofty but has proved to be a tool in the hands of the developed countries to deny entry to commodities from developing countries. * The item on government procurement seeks to bring government expenditure, so far outside the scope of WTO, in to its ambit and to open it up for multinational corporations. It should be clear to everyone that this measure has far more than economic implications. It has strategic and national security manifestations. The government of India has in the recent past showed a singular lack of diplomatic acumen, negotiating skills and political will to protect the interest of the people of the country. It has also failed to create, let alone lead, blocs of developing countries to unitedly resists attempts of the trans-national corporations to undermine their economies. It is necessary to be alert about the dangerous trap laid at Seattle. The representatives of India must make all efforts to defeat the proposals that threatens the lives of people of India. They must resolutely oppose these measures and garner as much support as possible for their stand from the other developing countries. In the first instance the government must make public its own stand on their issues. It must give a categorical assurance to the people that their rights and privileges will not be bargained away at Seattle. One government has already sold off our rights by signing the WTO at midnight through a subterfuge perpetrated on the parliament. Such affront to the people must never be repeated. The country and its resources must not be mortgaged any further with free entry to the multi-national corporations in the name of liberalisation at Seattle. NAME ADDRESS SIGNATURE Please send the signed memorandum to the: Ministry of Commerce, Udyog Bhavan, New Delhi 110 011 E-mai : commerce @hub.nic.in Phone : 91-11-3015299 / 3016917 DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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