4 june 2002
Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Argentina… we will
stand up to US
Latin American countries today pledged to
counter the United States' pro-corporate push
at the
Fourth Preparatory Meeting for the World
Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD)
taking place in Bali, Indonesia.
Ministers and ambassadors from Mexico,
Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador and
most other Latin American nations were
responding to a call from international
environment network Friends of the Earth
(FoEI) to stand up to the United States'
repeated attempts to water down any
meaningful action to limit the environmental
and social impacts of the world's
corporations. The pledge was obtained at a
meeting with FoEI Chairman Ricardo
Navarro.
Latin America knows only too well the
excesses of corporations. For example
Monsanto developed a pesticide plant in San
Miguel, El Salvador. The site was abandoned
and tanks of highly explosive toxafen waste
are contaminating the area.
"The US delegation has stood in the way of
an international convention on corporate
accountability and liability", said Mr
Navarro.
FoEI is concerned that while global and
regional trade agreements continue to grant
multinational corporations far?reaching
powers, no international mechanism exists to
hold corporations accountable to the citizens
and communities affected by their
activities.
Mr Navarro concluded "We hope Latin
American countries will play a honourable
role and secure rights for citizens and
communities to counter corporate power."
FoEI's position paper for Prepcom 4,
"Towards Binding Corporate Accountability,"
is available in hard?copy or online at
www.rio-plus-10.org
.
In Bali: media team: 0817 971 1394 or Matt
Phillips 0818 560 730
Daniel Mittler +49 173 923 4747
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