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24 january 2001
wto to hold next ministerial in
qatar
the world trade organisation is likely to
hold its next ministerial meeting in the
repressive persian gulf state of qatar
The move, which will be formally decided
at the WTO General Council meeting in Geneva
on 30th January, is designed to prevent
public protests at the event. The 1999 WTO
meeting in Seattle ended without agreement
after some of the biggest street protests in
the US since the Vietnam War. The WTO plan
has been slammed as outrageous by Friends of
the Earth and leading human rights
groups.
"We have always said that the WTO is a
secretive and undemocratic institution", said
FOE Trade Campaigner Ronnie Hall today. "Now
we know the lengths it will go to to avoid
public scrutiny. A small, repressive Gulf
state: what a perfect place to plot how to
force new rules on world trade onto angry
populations around the world. Politicians
promoting this daft idea are sadly mistaken
if they think the move will help stem the
tide of popular protest, It only makes
campaigners more determined".
"Holding this meeting in Qatar would shut
down any possibility of peaceful protest,"
said Kenneth Roth, executive director of the
US group Human Rights Watch. "The WTO can't
avoid public protests by holding a meeting in
a country that doesn't allow public protest.
That would send the signal that it's okay to
build the global economy on a foundation of
repression -- exactly the opposite of the
message the WTO should be pronouncing."
The U.S. State Department's latest report
on Qatar, published in February 2000, noted
severe restrictions on freedom of assembly
and association:
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The Government severely limits freedom
of assembly
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The Government does not allow political
demonstrations
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Visual demonstrations of the failings
of the WEF and globalisation, including
interventions by a trio of ‘World-Eating
Fatcats'.
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The Government severely limits freedom
of association.
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The Government does not allow political
parties or membership in international
professional organizations critical of the
Government or of any other Arab
government
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Private social, sports, trade,
professional, and cultural societies must
be registered with the Government. Security
forces monitor the activities of such
groups.
FoE Press Office: 0207 566 1657
US Human Rights Watch: Joe
Stork,Washington, DC: +1 202 612 4327
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