Civil Society Responds to the Final Declaration of the VIII FTAA Ministerial in
Uncategorized Comments (0)
The final Declaration coming out of the 8th FTAA Ministerial held on the 20 and 21 of November, 2003 in Miami, confirms the demise of the original vision underlying these negotiations. Despite every effort by officials to declare this Ministerial a resounding success and one that breaks an impasse in the FTAA talks, the lack of consensus that brought down the WTO negotiations in Cancun was evident once again in Miami. In addition, it was plain for all to see that the US government no longer has the capacity to impose its agenda while making it appear that a general 'consensus' was arrived at.
This 'agreement' in Miami may in fact turn out to be more dangerous than the original FTAA formulation. This Declaration maintains the original time frames and its antidemocratic character, and puts forward a 'flexible' structure for the negotiations, shifting them to a bilateral level, particularly where there are areas lacking common agreement. This shift towards bilateralism puts many countries at a greater disadvantage in their direct negotiations with the US. In addition, all issues remain on the table. In other words, the danger is that, beyond the issue of market access, supra-constitutional rules will be imposed on all economies in the areas of investment, services, intellectual property, government procurement, agriculture, etc.
Even though some countries have made an effort to minimize the general scope of the FTAA – the famous FTAA 'lite' – an FTAA that includes these issues represents a potential danger. At the same time, we regret that some countries gravely affected by “free trade” have taken on the task of defending more vigorously than Washington itself, the framework of a comprehensive FTAA. The pressures and blackmail tactics that have been used behind the scenes by the United States are notorious; even though its arguments are no longer convincing, the U.S. still has the power to impose its objectives while trying to isolate those governments of the Hemisphere that articulate a different vision.
The fact is that the results of these Miami talks are a complex hybrid of a 'comprehensive', 'flexible' and 'lite' FTAA, with a January, 2005 final completion date which was not changed, and which is an unjustifiable deadline which hangs like a guillotine over the heads of the negotiators.
The Hemispheric Social Alliance reaffirms its opposition to the content and basic principles that guide these trade negotiations, the essence of which remains in the Miami declaration that the Ministers have signed. We reiterate our commitment to an integration process that includes human, social, economic, gender, cultural, labor and environmental rights, and that preserves the sovereignty of our peoples and our capacity to launch regional or national projects with autonomy.
The Miami FTAA Ministerial has, in addition, taken place in an atmosphere of intimidation by the authorities against the local population and visitors alike. The Hemispheric Social Alliance strongly protests the multiple violations of the rights to freedom of expression and assembly, the constant harassment of civil society and the arbitrary arrests that occurred on the streets of Miami, along with the deployment of a disproportionately large security apparatus that effectively put this city under a state of siege for several days. This display of repressive power has not failed to reinforce the impression that the FTAA and “free trade” rely on the threat of force that is not merely coincidental to the increasing militarization in the continent. We have not seen the democracy and freedom that the United States prides itself in. Is it this show of force that Miami wishes to be remembered for in its efforts to land the future FTAA secretariat – an FTAA rejected by the people but defended by the police?
From here, from this North American city, we reaffirm our conviction to continue to fight the FTAA, to strengthen our organizational abilities on a national and hemispheric level and to promote our alternative vision of a continental integration that includes the rights and dreams of all our peoples. In the face of repeated attempts to divide us, we re-affirm that each struggle is everyone's struggle, and in the upcoming FTAA negotiations we call on the governments of all countries to oppose the imposition of an agreement that destroys sovereignty and causes ever-greater impoverishment in the Americas.
Miami, November 21, 2003
Contact
Cristina Charao
Secr.asc@cut.org.br
Mobile 786-201-7616
Rusa Jeremic
Coordinator
Global Economic Justice
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
129 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto, on M4V 1N5 Canada
416.463.5312, ext. 225, Fax: 416.463.5569, rjeremic@kairoscanada.org
@ November 26, 2003