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30 may 2002
The United States' War on Terrorism "can do
nothing but help Sustainable Development"
- U.S. State Department
John Davidson from the U.S. State Department
told an open forum on "Terrorism and
Sustainable Development" that the United
States' War on Terrorism "in purely economic
terms can do nothing but help sustainable
development".
Mr. Davidson's comments at the Fourth
Preparatory Meeting for the World Summit for
Sustainable Development taking place in Bali,
Indonesia comes in the wake of a week of
governmental failure to agree on any plan of
action to alleviate poverty - widely accepted
as a root cause of terrorism.
The United States, in particular, has
undermined virtually all attempts by civil
society to have their major concerns
addressed in Johannesburg in August 2002. The
United States is promoting Type 2 outcomes
called "partnerships" as a way of avoiding
any real commitment to a plan of action with
clear targets and timetables.
"Billions of dollars are being spent on the
war, but the United States is obstructing any
attempts to come up with a plan of action to
invest in poverty alleviation and the
exploitation of people and natural
resources," said Emmy Hafild, WAHLI - Friends
of the Earth, Indonesia.
"The ability of the United States to
promote corporate-led globalization and now
its war on terror as solutions to poverty and
environmental destruction is absolutely
mind-boggling," Emmy added.
"The United States is asking the world to
support its war on terror. The world is
asking the United States to stop hiding
behind the Doha agreement and Monterrey
Consensus and work with the world's
governments to implement a plan of action
that will deliver," said Emmy.
As government ministers descend on Bali
for the second and final week of the
Ministerial level negotiations, Friends of
the Earth International urges governments to
seriously consider the links between
unsustainable development and the
proliferation of terrorism.
Media Contact in Bali: (62)
0817-971-1394
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