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Developing Countries Stand Their
Ground
Exclusive report from the WTO
(Morning Star, Wednesday December 14 -
www.morningstaronline.co.uk
by RONNIE HALL
THE World Trade Organisation's sixth
ministerial conference in Hong Kong limped
into action yesterday after months of
in-fighting between rich and poor countries
in Geneva.
Despite the ongoing and extraordinarily
aggressive approach of the European Union's
Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, supported
by the United States, developing countries
have been standing their ground.
They are so far refusing to open their
markets on the strength of rich countries'
vague promises to stop farming in ways that
hurt the poorest people in the world. They've
fallen for this promise before and they seem
determined to make sure that it won't happen
again.
Developing country governments only have
to look through the floor-to-ceiling glass
walls of the Hong Kong Conference Centre,
which overlooks the harbour, to know that
they're doing the right thing.
Fisherfolk, farmers, peasants and migrants
are here in their thousands, making their
presence known in the most vibrant, colourful
and peaceful ways imaginable.
Two boats full of chanting Asian
fisherfolk, together with supporters such as
Friends of the Earth International, sailed
past the conference centre yesterday, with
their message conveyed in full technicolour,
flags draped from every conceivable rail and
halyard.
Two hundred South Korean peasant farmers
also astounded police by jumping into the
harbour and swimming towards the conference
centre to metaphorically 'sink' the WTO. The
messages from civil society are clear. The
WTO should have nothing to do with food and
fisheries. No deal in Hong Kong would be
better than the atrocious deal currently on
the table.
But WTO ministerials always come with a
sting in their tail. This ministerial is no
exception ‹ the sting is just a little more
subtle than usual.
The richest, most powerful countries are
attempting to dress up current negotiations
to trick the rest of the world into thinking
that negotiators in Hong Kong - deadlocked on
other trade issues - will prioritise
development issues. This could turn out to be
the biggest con trick ever played in the
WTO.
By offering some small concessions -
especially to the poorest of countries -
these countries look all set to demand major
market-opening concessions in return.
But poor countries have already said that
they believe that such concessions could lead
to increased poverty, unemployment and
deindustrialisation in their countries. Not
such a good deal after all, then.
Two myths need to be exploded at this
ministerial conference.
The first is that rich countries have any
genuine intention to deliver on
development.
The second is what you're seeing on your
television screens. Certain TV companies seem
to have opted to show a few seconds of
trouble to the rest of the world, denying you
information about what's really happening
here, ignoring the real issues of concern and
ditching footage of protests full of colour,
humour and laughter.
Tell them that you want to see the real
news.
Ronnie Hall is a Friends of the Earth
campaigner.
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