[CTRL] Fw: (earthclan) Fw: US SABOTAGES biosafety protocol (with help from a few friends) (fwd)

[Shane A. Saylor, Eccentric Bard]

 -Caveat Lector-

-----Original Message-----
From: Branfionn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Earthclan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Tuesday, February 23, 1999 7:39 PM
Subject: (earthclan) Fw: US SABOTAGES biosafety protocol (with help from a
few friends) (fwd)


>
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>* NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
>distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
>receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
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>----- Original Message -----
>From: Liath Mactire <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: Branfionn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 1999 11:41 AM
>Subject: US SABOTAGES biosafety protocol (with help from a few friends)
>(fwd)
>
>
>>
>>
>>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 22:19:46 -0800 (PST)
>>From: MichaelP <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>To: "unlikely.suspects":  ;
>>Subject: US SABOTAGES biosafety protocol (with help from a few friends)
>>
>>
>>                        By Jeremy Lennard in Bogota
>> Guardian (London)                        Tuesday February 23, 1999
>>
>>A treaty among 170 countries to ensure safe trade in genetically modified
>>organisms has been sabotaged by the United States, which believes its
>>business interests are threatened.
>>
>>The US has refused to allow commodities like soya bean and corn, which
>>account for 90 per cent of the world trade in GMOs, to be included in the
>>negotiations. If they were included they would need to be clearly labelled
>>when being traded between countries, something the Americans are anxious
>>to avoid because it could lead to their products being boycotted.
>>
>>The US action came only 24 hours before a deadline for the biosafety
>>negotiations in Cartagena to be completed. The US refused to bow to
>>pressure from the vast majority of the 170 countries present, who called
>>for a cautious approach to the international trade.
>>
>>It is likely that a protocol will still be signed, but after working
>>groups failed last week to produce a consensus on a paper for the final
>>debates, the treaty is likely to favour free trade concerns over
>>environmental prudence, and play into the hands of biotech companies such
>>as the US giants Monsanto and Dow.
>>
>>'The US is willing to threaten biodiversity in the name of short-term
>>profits. It wants a biotrade, not a biosafety, protocol,' said
>>Greenpeace's political adviser, Louise Gale. 'Over the past two years the
>>US has flooded the world market with unregulated and unlabelled
>>gentically-engineered [GE] grain. It is clear it wants to continue this
>>practice and will sabotage any efforts to set international rules for GE
>>crops.'
>>
>>Although the US has no formal delegation in Cartagena, it sent a powerful
>>lobby group of biotech company representatives. They have worked with a
>>handful of other countries to ride roughshod over the concerns of the
>>European Union and the developing world, which fears it will become a
>>unwitting testing ground for biotechnology.
>>
>>Last week the British delegation broke ranks with its EU colleagues when
>>it helped to write a set of proposals strongly in favour of the US
>>position, and which will form the watered-down basis of any treaty signed
>>today
>>
>>The proposals essentially reduce any potential agreement to govern the
>>trade in genetically engineered seed, and offer few or no restrictions on
>>the trade in genetically engineered grain to be used in food, and other
>>commodities containing GMOs. If adopted, the paper will also sideline
>>liability concerns for another four years while freeing up trade.
>>
>>Unless the majority of the countries can force their agenda at the
>>eleventh-hour, the right of countries to say no to the import of
>>genetically modified organisms will not be subject to global agreement,
>>except for seeds. Instead it will be reduced to a decision by individual
>>states, which can be contested before the World Trade Organisation.
>>
>>At the same time, the rights of individual countries to insist that
>>genetically engineered grain, for example, be segregated from conventional
>>grain, and that commodities containing genetically modified organisms be
>>labelled, has been fudged.
>>
>>The implications of a weak protocol for importer countries and the vast
>>majority of the developing world were demonstrated at the weekend with the
>>arrival of a US grain-carrier at the nearby Caribbean port of Santa Marta.
>>Its cargo would be unaffected by the current proposed wording of the
>>protocol.
>>
>>The cargo ship Abydos docked on Saturday to unload 17,000 tons of maize,
>>which even by the biotechnology industry's estimates could contain up to
>>3,500 tons of genetically engineered grain. Colombian law makes no
>>provision for the presence of GE grain in the shipment, and the country
>>becomes a passive recipient without the right of prior consultation.
>>
>>================================================
>>Countries fail to agree on global biodiversity agreement
>>
>>CARTAGENA, Colombia, Feb 22 (AFP) - Hours after declaring themselves at an
>>impasse, delegates trying to hammer out global rules to protect the
>>planet's biodiversity relaunched their negotiations to seek a
>>breakthrough.
>>
>>UN sponsored biosafety negotiations among 170 countries failed earlier
>>Monday to produce an agreement on a draft protocol text due to be handed
>>over to the UN Biodiversity Convention which opened here Monday.
>>
>>The main sticking point, delegates said, was proposed regulations on the
>>cross-border transport of genetically altered fruits, vegetables and other
>>organic products, known as "modified living organisms."
>>
>>Of the 65 nations who attended Monday afternoon's session 63 voted against
>>the draft text. Only Russia and Japan voted to adopt the protocol,
>>although their delegates suggested it could be improved.
>>
>>But late Monday host Colombia -- led by Environment Minister Juan Mayr --
>>managed to relaunch the negotiations.
>>
>>Mayr, who is presiding the conference, was able to form a reduced working
>>group drawn from 10 delegates from different groups to continue the
>>negotiations, using the rejected text as a starting point.
>>
>>The group, which began meeting late Monday, was to focus on articles four
>>and five, the most controversial of the 45-article protocol, the minister
>>said.
>>
>>"One of the great unresolved themes is contained in these two articles,"
>>Mayr said.
>>
>>The talks, which began February 15, followed two and a half years of
>>preliminary discussions. They were originally to have concluded on Friday.
>>
>>The signed protocol was then to be submitted for final approval at the UN
>>Convention on Biological Diversity meeting here Monday and Tuesday.
>>
>>But environmentalists and Third World groups could not come to terms with
>>countries with strong biotechnology industries, who opposed strong
>>restrictions.
>>
>>A group representing Third World non-governmental organizations (NGOs) had
>>predicted the failure of the talks, blasting agriculture-exporting nations
>>belonging to the "Miami Group" for sabotaging the negotiations by their
>>intransigence.
>>
>>The so-called Miami group rejects the proposal to require that all
>>modified living organisms exported to other countries be labeled as such,
>>while the European Union, China and most Latin American nations have
>>insisted identification be a minimal requirement.
>>
>>Environmental group Greenpeace accused the Miami group members -- the
>>United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Uruguay and
>>Chile -- of sacrificing food safety, crop diversity and human health in
>>exchange for increased profits for their biotech industries.
>>
>>"A group of six countries managed to block the effort of the rest of the
>>world to reach an agreement" on genetically altered products destined for
>>human or animal consumption, Louise Gale of Greenpeace said.
>>
>>Greenpeace went as far as asking member countries to exclude the United
>>States from talks, saying that US negotiators are more interested in
>>maintaining free trade over biosafety.
>>
>>"It seems that the US is willing in cold blood to threaten biodiversity in
>>the name of short-term profit," Gale said.
>>_________________________________________________________________
>>
>>
>>** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material
>>is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest
>>in receiving the included information for research and educational
>>purposes. **
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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