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Voice of America, 99-12-04
CONTENTS
[01] WTO - NGO RESPONSE (L) BY MIKE O'SULLIVAN (SEATTLE)
[02] TWO-TRADE TALKS (L-2ND UPDATE)CQ BY AMY BICKERS (SEATTLE)
[03] WTO TALKS FROZEN (L) BY AMY BICKERS (SEATTLE)
[04] WTO TALKS FROZEN (L-UPDATE) BY AMY BICKERS (SEATTLE)
[01] WTO - NGO RESPONSE (L) BY MIKE O'SULLIVAN (SEATTLE)
DATE=12/4/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-256833
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: As international trade talks grind to a halt in
Seattle, environmentalists and others blame suspension
of the talks on a lack of
openness by world trade officials. V-O-A's Mike
O'Sullivan reports on reaction among non-government
organizations.(NGO'S)
TEXT: Chief U-S negotiator Charlene Barshefsky and
other Western delegates expressed disappointment
Friday at the suspension. They say the groundwork was
laid for a future round of international trade talks.
But representatives of many N-G-Os had complained
bitterly of a lack of openness in the world trade
body. And for them, suspension was the victory
they had hoped for.
Brent Blackwelder is president of the environmental
group Friends of the Earth.
/// BRENT BLACKWELDER ACT ///
This gives you an indication that trade is not
something to be left just to trade bureaucrats behind
closed doors in secret procedures. People demand
openness. We support democratic institutions. We are
not going to allow the economy of this world to be run
behind closed doors.
/// END ACT ///
The representative of another N-G-O says freezing of
the talks is a signal
the World Trade Organization is badly in need of
reform.
Victoria Tabuli Corpuz represents an indigenous
people's group in the Philippines.
/// CORPUZ ACT ///
It's about time that those who have been disadvantaged
should assert that this is not something that is
working for their interests, and therefore the rules
should be changed, or the body or the system should
become more democratic.
/// END ACT ///
After Friday's suspension of talks, W-T-O officials
promised there will be changes to ensure greater
openness and to find creative ways to bridge
differences in the future. (Signed)
NEB/MO/PLM
04-Dec-1999 05:29 AM EDT (04-Dec-1999 1029 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
[02] TWO-TRADE TALKS (L-2ND UPDATE)CQ BY AMY BICKERS (SEATTLE)
DATE=12/3/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-256824
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
//Editors: updating to show the trade ministers are
working past the Friday night deadline toward a deal
on trade liberalization. The first sentence in the
intro. has been changed and the last sentence of the
text has been eliminated.//
INTRO: Delegates of the World Trade Organization,
meeting in Seattle on the last night of their
conference, are trying to reach a deal on the next
wave of trade liberalization. Agriculture remains a
crucial issue and the source of great conflict. As Amy
Bickers reports, it appears that European and Japanese
officials have made some concessions in this area.
TEXT: According to a draft version of the trade
ministers' declaration obtained by The Voice of
America, The European Union and Japan have backed down
on their position on farm subsidies, agreeing to
reduce but not to elminate them outright
Washington and the Australian-led Cairns (A city in
Australia) group of farm products exporters have
pushed for an end to agricultural subsidies and freer
trade in the sector.
But Japan, the E-U and their allies say that farm
goods have a special status which is different from
industrial goods. European Trade Commissioner Pascal
Lamy say agriculture's distinct role in preserving
food security, the environment and rural life should
be recognised and kept intact.
///LAMY ACT ///
We care about our farmers. We do not want the
seven million farmers of Europe to disappear
because they do not have a number of
compartive advanatges which other countries
have. So, we believe that agriculture is not
only about food production. It also have other
functions.
/// END ACT ///
According to the 14-page draft document, cutting trade
barriers in agriculture, as well manufactured goods
and services will be part of a new round of global
trade talks to be launched at the turn of the century.
The draft also heralds a new initiative to improve
trade prospects for the poorest W-T-O members. It
gives them longer periods for adjusting to W-T-O rules
and encourages membership in the trade rules body for
poor countries which have not yet joined .
But many developing nations remain unsatisfied. A
group of Latin American and Caribbean countries have
distributed a draft communique declaring that powerful
nations excluded them from important negotiation
sessions. They also note their surprise and anger at
what they call a lack of concern for the security of
their delegations. Some delegates were accosted by
anti W-T-O protestors earlier this week and many more
were trapped in hotels on the first day of the
meeting.(Signed)
NEB/WTW/PT
03-Dec-1999 22:27 PM EDT (04-Dec-1999 0327 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
[03] WTO TALKS FROZEN (L) BY AMY BICKERS (SEATTLE)
DATE=12/4/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-256828
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Delegates to the global trade gathering in (The
Pacific Northwest city of) Seattle say the talks have
ended without the agreement that
was hoped for. As Amy Bickers reports from the
meeting, officials say trade ministers remains deeply
divided on a number of issues.
TEXT: Trade officials say talks to launch a new round
of global trade liberalization ground to a halt and
trade ministers say they could
reconvene next year in Geneva where the World Trade
Organization is headquartered.
Officials confirmed the impasse as they left a closed-
door session of the W-T-O's 135 members. European
Union Trade Spokesman Anthony
Gooch says E-U delegates are disappointed.
/// GOOCH ACT ///
We were starting from scratch. The Geneva process
did not provide what we expected and hoped it would
and we have come here with a steep mountain to climb.
At the end of the day that mountain
has proved a bit too steep.
/// END ACT ///
Canada's Agriculture Minister says the talks are
frozen for the present. Canadian Trade Minster Pierre
Pettigrew acknowledges the impasse but says it does
not mark a failure.
/// PETTIGREW ACT ///
I am saying that this is not a real failure. We have
made progress. These progresses are locked in.
They're frozen. They will be the basis
for further work. We are all committed to the
improvement and the strengthening of the world trade
organization because we deeply believe
that the rules based system is important for growth.
/// END ACT ///
An official from the U-S Agriculture Department says
talks fell apart over export subsidies and that there
was no consensus on cutting trade
barriers in farm products. Officials from African
countries say disagreements over including
international labor standards in trade
policy was also a major source of conflict.(Signed)
NEB/AB/PLM
04-Dec-1999 02:56 AM EDT (04-Dec-1999 0756 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
[04] WTO TALKS FROZEN (L-UPDATE) BY AMY BICKERS (SEATTLE)
DATE=12/4/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-256834
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle
has failed to reach its goal of launching a new
millennium round of trade liberalization talks. As Amy
Bickers reports, trade ministers say they are
disappointed but hopeful that they will resume further
discussions in the future.
TEXT: Trade ministers told reporters late Friday that
the efforts to create an agenda for the next trade
round had failed and that they had
agreed to freeze discussions for the present time.
They said a number of complex issues had prevented a
deal, including the controversial
issues of lowering trade barriers in agriculture and
revising anti-dumping laws.
U-S Trade Representative Charlene Barshevsky told
delegates that substantial progress was made in many
areas but that remaining issues were highly
complicated and could not be overcome quickly.
She also reaffirmed the United States' commitment to
the trade rules-body, and said that U-S officials had
demonstrated commitment and flexibility in the talks.
/// BARSHEVSKY ACT ///
The United States came to this conference, decided to
chair and host the conference, the President of the
United States came to the
conference, all with the intention that the round
should be launched. There has never been a question
about the commitment nor has there ever
been any wavering of any sort in the U-S intention to
participate in the
launch of a new global round.
/// END ACT ///
Ms. Barshevsky told a packed news conference that W-T-
O Director-General Mike Moore would consult with the
135 W-T-O members to try to work
through the remaining differences with the goal of
reconvening the meeting of ministers at a future date,
most likely in Geneva where the
W-T-O is based.
European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy told
reporters that he welcomed this decision, and also
said that the W-T-O's negotiation
procedures needed to be reconsidered and possibly
changed.
/// LAMY ACT ///
We believe it has to be reassessed, reviewed,
refurbished and maybe rebuilt. The problem of
combining efficiency and transparency is
extremely common in modern institutions. The W-T-O
obviously does not have today the institutional
strength, the culture, or the procedures to
do this right.
/// END ACT ///
Throughout the conference, developing countries
expressed great dissatisfaction with the procedures,
saying that they were left out of
the most important meetings. They also said political
issues in the United States, The European Union and
Japan were interfering with trade policy.
A Thai delegate said the United States was an advocate
on too many issues to bring about the necessary
compromises. An Australian trade
official said that a lack of unity within the European
Union and the upcoming U-S presidential election had
damaged political support for a
new trade round.
Some of the many thousands of protestors who
demonstrated during the trade conference say they are
relieved that the talks have been
suspended. (SIGNED)
NEB/AB/PLM
04-Dec-1999 05:50 AM EDT (04-Dec-1999 1050 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
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