Selamat, selamat untuk kita semua. Perundingan WTO sudah gagal mencapai kesepakatan! Kita boleh bernafas sedikit, tetapi perjuangan masih panjang karena seluruh agenda negosiasi sekarang diserahkan kepada General Council di Geneva. Jadi kita tetap harus mewaspadi perundingan-perundingan di sana. Salam Hira ---------- > > Date: Sunday, December 05, 1999 3:14 AM > > NEWS FROM SEATTLE > by Martin Khor 4 Dec 1999 > > Dear friends and colleagues, > > 3 Dec was a very dramatic day. It was the last day of the WTO Conference. > > Until afternoon it seemed there would be a Declaration and that developing > countries would be stampeded into agreeing to it, with a new Round of new > issues etc. > > Almost all Third World delegations were very upset by their marginalisation, > by not being invited in the small group meetings that do the real > negotiations. > > Third World Network issued at statement and held a press conference in the > Media Room at about 5 pm. The statement expressed outrage at the way > developing countries were being treated, and called for the Seattle talks to > be adjourned and that the General Council in Geneva be authorised to do > follow up work instead. > > This Statement is attached below. > > By about 6pm it became clear that the talks would fail and there would not > be a Declaration nor a new round. It was thought that a 2 or 4 page > procedural statement would be issued instead. > > However even that was not forthcoming. At a closing plenary session, the > USTR Charlene Barshevsky announced the talks had been suspended and that the > Director General of WTO would be responsible for further consultations later > on. > > Both she and Pascal lamy (EC Trade Commissioner) said that the breakdonw was > largely caused by the fact that the old system of WTO's decision-making (in > sall groups etc) was no longer adequate to satisfy the demands of > transparency of the large numbers of members from developing countries. > They thus admitted that the lack of transparency and participation by > developing countries had given rise to anger and that it would not have been > possible to push through a declaration even if the US and EU and other > developed countries had reached agreement among themselves. > > The old ways of the WTO must now be changed. But it is far from clear that > such reforms will come. The way the meeting in Seattle was organised was > shameful. > Change has been promised before (eg during the closing of the Singapore > Ministerial in 1996) but the manipulative ways have worsened to the lowest > point in Seattle. Will reforms really come? One has to be skeptical at > this moment. > > Most developing country delegations were quite happy with this result as > they had been preparing to possible reject any Draft Declaration that may > have been preswented to them for "consensus." Most countries wanted to > avoid a new round. > > The NGOs were very happy as they had campaigned against a new Round. At > Seattle, there were also several Third World NGOs that had been doing > advocacy work with their governments. > > Work will probabloy resume in the WTO in Geneva in January. > > Most delegations ajnd NGOs are leaving Seattle on 4 or 5 December. > > Meanwhile the public protests are still continuing in some parts of Seattle. > > All in all, a very remarkable week in Seattle. > > > With best wishes, > > Martin Khor > Third World Network > > > PLEASE VISIT OUR TWN WEBSITE www.twnside.org.sg for more up-to-date news and > analyses on the WTO and the Seattle Conference. > > > Below is the TWN Statement presesnted at a media conference at about 5pm on > 3 December. > > > > THIRD WORLD NETWORK > Statement on the WTO Process: 3 Dec 1999 > > > NO LEGITIMACY OR CREDIBILITY IN SEATTLE PROCESS AND RESULTS > > Third World Groups Denounce Undemocratic and Bullying Tactics > at Seattle > > > NGOs from developing countries are shocked and outraged at the way the WTO > and the organisers have treated the developing country Members of the WTO at > the Seattle Ministerial. > > What has been going on in Seattle is a scandal. Developing countries that > form more than two-thirds of the membership of WTO are being coerced and > stampeded by the major powers, especially the host country the US, to agree > to a Declaration to which they were given very little opportunity to draft > or to consider. > > Most of the important negotiations have taken place in "green room" meetings > where only a few countries are invited. Most of the developing country > Members of the WTO have not been able to participate. Even if a country is > invited to a meeting on a particular issue, it may not be a participant in > other issues. Many developing countries were not invited to any meeting on > any issue at all. > > As a result most Ministers have been insulted by their not being able to > take part in decisions that seriously affect their countries and people. > Worse, they have had little chance to even know what is being discussed, by > whom or where. Nor what the results of these discussions were. > > Also, the programme has been so crammed and tight that when the final draft > Declaration is produced, Ministers and officials would hardly have any time > at all to consider its contents. > > To expect them to "join in the consensus" through the argument that > otherwise the Ministerial Conference would be deemed a failure, is to impose > a kind of blackmail. > > What has gone on in Seattle is a shameful way of conducting a meeting, let > alone such an important Ministerial Conference. > > To further attempt to produce any substantive conclusion or any Declaration > now would destroy any little legitimacy or credibility that the WTO has. > The public in every country will reject any Declaration or outcome arising > from this manipulative process. > > In this situation, we suggest that the Ministers take a procedural decision > to adjourn the Conference and remit all the texts before it to the General > Council in Geneva. The General Council should exercise its > responsibilities and hold consultations on how to proceed further, and take > appropriate decisions in accordance with its powers and responsibilities > under the Marrakesh Agreement. > > > > > Martin Khor > Director > > > > > (Third World Network is a network of NGOs involved in development and > environment issues in developing countries) > > > > > > > > > -= Dual T3 Webhosting on Dual Pentium III 450 - www.indoglobal.com =- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
