> >From: Bob Olsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: 47 arrested at EU-US trade talks, Nov 18, 2000 > 47 demonstrators arrested at EU-US trade > talks in Cincinnati, Nov 18, 2000 > > > >Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2000 18:02:20 -0800 >From: Ellen Gould <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: Sid Shniad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Bob Olsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Trade protestors hit home > >I was down in Cincinnati for the counter-conference to the Trans >Atlantic Business Dialogue, a forum explicitly created for >transnational CEOs to give direct input to government negotiators >on what they want in trade deals. These meetings have virtually >written the text for agreements in the past, with governments >reporting on how well they have followed through on the CEOs >recommendations. > >There have been four of these meetings, but Cincinnati was the >first where they encountered demonstrators. They probably went >to Cincinnati because it is known as a conservative town. They >didn't count on a whole series of teach-ins and other activities >that built up to quite successful demonstrations and pickets. >The police response was truly awful. At a demonstration this >Saturday that I attended, police put barricades around the entire >public square where the demo was being held and made people agree >to being searched before they were able to cross police lines to >join the demonstration. The harassment of young people was >particularly bad, as they were arrested immediately for doing >things as innocuous as jaywalking. At least some of the media >got what was happening. As you can see below, the reporter >(from the Financial Times!) refers to 47 arrests in largely >peaceful demonstrations. > >The main recommendation CEOs were putting to government officials >at the conference was that removing trade barriers now has little >to do with tarriffs but all about deregulation. The clarion call >for transnationals currently is "approved once, accepted >everywhere", which means that no community will be able to set >standards higher than ones that are set internationally under >the guidance of transnationals. > >The citizens' actions groups from Ohio did amazing work pulling >off the protests to this meeting, making the critical point that >governments and transnationals can now expect to face protests >wherever they hold these profoundly anti-democratic meetings. > >Cheers - Ellen Gould <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >............................................................ > > >Trade protestors hit home > >By Edward Alden in Cincinnati >Financial Times, November 19 2000 > >European and US government and business leaders sought at >the weekend to revitalise their troubled bilateral trading >relationship, but acknowledged that growing public concern >over trade liberalisation is stifling further progress. > >The high-level meeting of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue >took place as protesters battled police outside a downtown >Cincinnati hotel. > >The demonstrations were the first in the six-year history of >the TABD, but have become a familiar backdrop to international >trade meetings since the violent protests at last year's failed >World Trade Organisation ministerial in Seattle. More than 100 >police in full riot gear, about a dozen of them on horseback, >ringed the hotel for the two-day meeting, and 47 protestors >were arrested in largely peaceful demonstrations. > >The protests have clearly rattled the confidence of both >political and business leaders, who spent much of the two >days debating how better to sell to the public the benefits >of freer trade. > >"Everybody is more risk-averse than a few years ago," said >Bertrand Collomb, chief executive of Lafarge and European >co-chair of the TABD. "They are being watched by public >opinion much more." > >George David, chief executive of United Technologies and the US >co-chair, said "we would be foolish to fail to listen to these >demonstrators and their views". > >In the final communique, the TABD said it must work with >non-governmental organisations and citizens' groups "out of the >conviction that globalisation is not incompatible with their >concerns". "We have a selling job," said Pascal Lamy, the EU's >trade commissioner. "We need to find new ways of getting across >the benefits of globalisation." > >The fears over public reaction have already threatened one of >the TABD's highest priorities. At the urging of the chief >executives, the US and the EU plan a renewed push this week to >implement a mutual recognition agreement that would make it >easier for companies to meet product safety specifications in >both the US and Europe. Businesses say such streamlining could >shave more than $1bn in costs on transatlantic trade. > >US regulatory agencies have been reluctant to allow European >facilities to certify products as safe for the US market, >bringing the talks to a stalemate. > >One European official said that the US stance has been heavily >influenced by the opponents of further trade liberalisation. >"They are terrified of the NGOs, they are terrified of Public >Citizen," he said, referring to the consumer group led by Ralph >Nader. > >The US in turn says progress on regulatory co-operation has >been hampered by the European unwillingness to allow greater >transparency and openness in its regulatory procedures to >public scrutiny. > >The chief executives also urged much greater caution in using >the WTO's dispute settlement system, which has failed to >resolve several contentious US-EU trade disputes and has stoked >public fears of an international agency overriding national >sovereignty. > >While business groups were originally strong proponents of >binding dispute settlement, the TABD urged the two governments >to exhaust all negotiating possibilities before resorting to >the WTO. > >By Edward Alden in Cincinnati >Financial Times, November 19 2000 > > > > > ............................................ > Bob Olsen, Toronto [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ............................................ > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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