Beware...they might visit your town! For those interested, Guillermo Rishchynski-the Canadian Ambassador to Columbia-has been travelling to parts of Canada doing PR for the Summit of the Americas & the FTAA. Of course, he's also glossing over the current atrocities in Columbia. He's speaking in universities and such. Today (January 30th), he was in Fredericton. Tommorow, he plans to be in St. Andrews, and thereafter he's got things going on in Toronto. He is one of the 18 Latin American & Carribean Canadian ambassadors who are doing similar speaking tours. In Fredericton, he claimed that Columbian civil society wants the FTAA. When reminded of the 20 million Columbians who went on a 2-day general strike in Sept. 99 protesting neoliberal policies, etc., and then the suggestion that this being the case, the FTAA sounds more like despotism not democracy, he replied: "Well, it all depends on how you look at it..." Then he pushed the common tactical spin that the FTAA strengthen's democratic institutions, creates jobs 'for youth', etc. The myth of Canada's human rights high-horse was also flaunted. He said that Canadian corporations have a significant $5 billion(US) of investment in Columbia. These corporations include Bell Canada, Northern Telecom and 6 active oil exploration and gas & oil pipeline management companies. Canada currently engages in $500-600 million per year in trade and McCains & President's Choice are household names in Columbia. Canada also exports wheat, newsprint, lentil and peas. Pierre Loiselle for more info on Columbia, check out: New Colombia News Agency (ANNCOL) home.swipnet.se/anncol/index.htm Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army FARC-EP tierra.ucsd.edu/farc-ep National Liberation Army ELN www.eln-voces.com Revolutionary and Popular Movements in Colombia (list of links) www.neravt.com/left/colombia.htm Z Magazine http://www.zmag.org/CrisesCurEvts/Colombia/colombiatop.htm Colombia Support Network http://www.colombiasupport.net/ Columbia Report http://www.colombiareport.org/ The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) http://www.nacla.org/ International Action Center http://www.iacenter.org/ colombia.indymedia.org www3.gratisweb.com/ciclocrisis (analyses by H. Mondragon) www.derechos.org/nizkor/colombia www.ecopetrol.com.co (official site to oil exploitation in Colombia) ------------------------------------------- Macdonald Stainsby Rad-Green List: Radical anti-capitalist environmental discussion. http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/rad-green ---- Leninist-International: Building bridges in the tradition of V.I. Lenin. http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international ---- In the contradiction lies the hope. --Bertholt Brecht _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
