> From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sat Feb 14 20:30:08 1998 > Subject: NZ-Govt Irresponsibility, Insincerity, Slammed Over Paris Igotiations > Comments: Gatt Watchdog > Date: Sun, 15 Feb 98 17:34:13 +1200 > Organization: PlaNet Gaia Otautahi > > GATT Watchdog > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > MEDIA RELEASE > > 15th February 1998 > > For Immediate Use > > Government Social Irresponsibility, Insincerity, Slammed Over Paris > Investment Negotiations > > This week, negotiations on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) > reach a critical point as senior officials from 29 OECD countries meet in > Paris on 16 and 17 February to assess whether and how to complete the > controversial treaty by its current April deadline*(see footnote). This is > the time that governments will be formulating their final negotiating > positions. New Zealand fair trade coalition GATT Watchdog condemns the New > Zealand government's behaviour in relation to the MAI as insincere and so > cially irresponsible. It is calling on the government to halt its > involvement in negotiations on the MAI, which it describes as a bill of > rights and freedoms for foreign investors. > > "On the eve of Jenny Shipley's major announcement about the government's > Code of Social Responsibility that it wants to impose on hundreds of > thousands of New Zealanders it is outrageous that senior government > officials will sneak off to this highlevel meeting in Paris which few people > are even aware of. The government has still not completed its series of > consultation hui with Maori, and has failed to honour its commitment to hold > a Parliamentary debate on the subject," says Aziz Choudry, a spokesperson. > (The next series of hui starts on 23 February). > > "Some have already questioned the sincerity and real motives for setting up a > consultation round with Maori and the promise of a Parliamentary debate on > the MAI. It is now quite clear that these are merely meaningless stabs at > domestic damage control." > > "The MAI, if signed, will lock in the worst features of a dog-eat-dog > deregulated, open economy which has already cost untold job losses and > contributed to a rapidly-widening poverty gap. The fact that the New Zealand > government thinks that it can push on regardless of public opinion at home or > abroad, without any genuine attempt to consult with Maori or non-Maori, or a > debate on the issues in Parliament calls into question its sincerity and > intentions to ever engage in any open discussion about the issue. > How dare it demand "social responsibility" of low-income New Zealanders when > it still refuses to be accountable to the public in its international treaty > negotiations on the MAI?" > > The political, social and economic fallout of pushing on with MAI > negotiations will have longterm repercussions for New Zealand, he said. > "It would be far wiser instead to commit to a moratorium on further MAI > negotiations at least until a genuine open public consultation process has > taken place, not the insincere, half-hearted and belated efforts that it is > trying to pass off as consultation even as it furtively prepares to dot the > "i"s and cross the "t"s on as much of the MAI text as possible this week". > > He says that it is not only the many hundreds of non-governmental > organisations, indigenous peoples, unions, and peoples' movements throughout > the world which oppose the MAI. > > "The provincial governments of British Columbia and Prince Edward Island have > both called on the Canadian federal government not to ratify the MAI until > full public consultations have been carried out across Canada. The BC > provincial government has warned that the federal government should not > assume that it will allow the MAI to be applied to the province in the event > of it signing the agreement. Meanwhile, the US government, whose companies > would be the largest beneficiaries of the MAI, is demanding an exemption > from the agreement for all existing state and local government laws." > > The New Zealand government has been singled out by observers of the > negotiations as one of the very few governments opposing even token > recognition of environmental and labour issues by the corporations who would > gain from the MAI. > > "Its position is quite clear," said Mr Choudry, "it wants social > responsibility from the victims of its policies, but not from the > corporations who benefit". > > For further comment, contact: Aziz Choudry (GATT Watchdog) at (03) 3662803 > > > *NOTE(It seems increasingly unlikely that the April deadline for a final > signing of the MAI will be met. US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky > last week publicly stated that the US cannot sign in April. There continue > to be many tensions and differences in negotiating positions among OECD > member countries which are unacceptable to the USA. But it is likely that > there will be a push to lock in the provisions of the MAI on which there is > consensus by April, and then to set up a work programme and deadline to > resolve outstanding issues in negotiations.) > > > >
