* 27 Dec 99 * starheart.net/wto.html * zox.zzn.com * WTO@starheart.net mirror - starheart.8m.com/wto.html World Trade Organization: Whose Trade Organization?
	www.globalizethis.org and www.ruckus.org
	gatt.org is not the first time that RTMark (rtmark.com) has used website imitation to render an entity more transparent. RTMark has performed the same service for George W. Bush (with GWBush.com, archived at rtmark.com/bush.html), Rudy Giuliani (yesrudy.com), Shell Oil (rtmark.com/shell), and others. RTMark's principal aim is to publicize corporate abuses of democratic processes.
	Date: 29 Nov 1999 From: Globalize This! <info@globalizethis.org> Subject: Banners, Live Camera Views, New Articles and Video Greetings! The Globalize This! website now has a list of live camera views of downtown Seattle. www.globalizethis.org A dozen or more articles have been added to the Ruckus Society Globalize This! News page. CNN video and New York Times articles are new. www.ruckus.org/news/GlobalizeThis/index.html Banners and marches and protesting, Oh My! Be sure to check in all day tomorrow (November 30) for news of the big opening day. Globalize This!
	Date: December 3, 1999 To: All Activists From: Antonia Juhasz and Jim Jontz SPEAK OUT AGAINST U.S. GREENWASH AT THE WTO We hope this will be the last bulletin from Seattle, as the WTO Ministerial is supposed to finish its work today. We are asking for one or two more phone calls from everyone who is concerned about the fate of forests in the global economy, because we cannot fail to respond to the blatant greenwashing that the U.S. is engaging in to cover our government's advocacy for the Global Free Logging Agreement and the damage it will cause to the world's forests. Late yesterday at a briefing by the U.S. government for the media on the day's developments in Seattle, the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, George Frampton, told the audience that "knowledgeable" environmental groups really aren't opposed to the Administration's initiative to eliminate tariffs on wood products. This is greenwashing of the worst kind: misrepresenting the position of environmental groups to make it sound like they have approved the Administration's embrace of the timber industry's position that "Advanced Tariff Liberalization" should be negotiated in Seattle. In fact, all of the environmental groups -- big and small -- who have been involved with this issue are opposed to the Administration's proposal. What is most egregious about the situation is that for a month, the CEQ has been trying to run away from numbers in their own study of the Wood Products ATL that suggest that removing tariffs on wood products as the U.S. proposes will increase logging in forests in Indonesia by 4.4% and Malaysia by 2.6%, including primary forests. The report raises questions about the impact of logging caused by tariff liberalization in Chile and other countries, as well. Instead of accepting any responsibility for determining the biological impacts of the country specific increases in logging that their own study predicts, or proposing mitigation or prevention measures, the CEQ has simply dodged. They have told us that the numbers aren't important, that they have other priorities, etc., etc. etc. Their most recent dodge is Mr. Frampton's statement that "knowledgeable" environmental groups don't really care about the wood products tariff issue. This is inexcusable. President Clinton came to Seattle and urged the WTO delegates to be concerned about the environment and listen to citizens groups. The CEQ Chair takes the microphone hours later and, to cover the Administration's shameless advocacy for the position of the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA), claims that environmental groups really don't have an issue with tariffs. The Administration has put a great deal of weight on their proposal to study the impacts of future trade proposals. Well, what about the study of the wood products tariff liberalization that they just did? To run away from the numbers in that study, and use it instead to greenwash the Administration's position, does not give us much confidence. Please make two more calls if you can to White House Chief of Staff John Podesta at (202)456- 6797 and CEQ Chair George Frampton at (202)456-6224. A suggested message: "We've heard what Mr. Frampton said yesterday about environmental groups not caring about tariffs and that's wrong. We want the U.S. to negotiate for forest protection, not forest liquidation." Thanks!
	Date: December 2, 1999 To: All Activists From: Jim Jontz THE U.S. AT THE WTO: WILL DEEDS MATCH WORDS? President Clinton leaves Seattle today after making the best of the demonstrations against the WTO by expressing sympathy for the goals of the tens of thousands of people who showed up here to support workers, the environment, and human rights. However, the U.S. position at the WTO on forests -- one of the major environmental issues on the table in Seattle -- is completely contradictory to the views that the President expressed about the importance of including public concerns in the WTO discussion and protecting environmental values. The U.S. is leading the international charge to end tariffs on wood products immediately, in spite of predictions in the government's own study that ending tariffs would increase logging in sensitive forests in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Chile. The U.S. is proposing nothing at the WTO to protect forests, but rather is embracing completely the position of the timber industry. U.S. forest activists held a news conference today to ask the Administration to change their position on the Global Free Logging Agreement to reflect the concerns that President Clinton expressed in Seattle just hours ago. All major national environmental groups and hundreds of grassroots groups oppose the Administration's WTO wood products proposal. For the U.S. to continue to champion the agreement with no mitigation or protection for forests at all, in face of the overwhelming opposition of citizens, is totally contradictory to the President's insistence on consideration of the views of the public and the need for environmental stewardship. In addition, the forest activists called on the U.S. to exert leadership in fending off a joint proposal from the European Union and Japan to include "Non-Tariff Measures" (NTMs) in future comprehensive "market access" negotiations. Elimination of NTMs would threaten important environmental protections including raw log export bans, ecolabeling, and phytosanitary protections against invasive species. Paige Fischer of the Pacific Environment and Resources Center (PERC) pointed out that a recent federal court decision found that the U.S. Trade Representative had violated the law by including only industry representatives in their advisory committees on wood products and paper. "President Clinton's words in Seattle will remain employ unless the government halts negotiations on the Global Free Logging Agreement until we can all participate," Fischer said. Tomorrow (Friday) the WTO negotiations are supposed to conclude in Seattle. This is the perfect time to make a call to the key offices in the U.S. that ought to insuring that President Clinton's word is kept. Please call CEQ Chair George Frampton, (202)456-6224, and Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs, Frank Loy at (202)647-6240. Please ask them to keep President Clinton's commitment in Seattle by dropping the Global Free Logging Agreement.
	Date: December 1, 1999 To: All Activists From: Jim Jontz SHAMELESS IN SEATTLE As I write this, forest activist Victor Menotti is in jail for having a public discussion of the status of WTO negotiations affecting forests this morning with a group of other forest activists on the street near the King County Building in downtown Seattle after a meeting with U.S. government officials. Under the "emergency" order now in effect in downtown Seattle, the police are allowed to arrest people for "inciting" the public, which Victor was certainly not guilty of. What really should incite the public, however, is the failure of the Clinton Administration to take a responsible position on forests at the WTO. President Clinton arrived in Seattle late last night and immediately began talking about how much the Administration cares about workers and the environment. The President was scheduled to visit with representatives of several national environmental groups this afternoon to demonstrate his concern. However, at the meeting with forest activists this morning preceding Victor's arrest, representatives of the U.S. Trade Representative and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) made clear that the U.S. wants an agreement by the WTO this week on the Administration's plan to remove tariffs on wood products, and that the U.S. is still suggesting nothing to mitigate or prevent the impact of increased logging on some of the world's most sensitive forests as a result of the tariff elimination that we are advocating. The Administration representatives also said that the U.S. position, to date, has not been to seek any language in the official "declaration" of the WTO meeting that would prevent future negotiations from attacking "non-tariff" measures such as ecolabelling, green procurement laws, or log export bans that are important for forest conservation. Miguel Fredes, a Chilean activist, asked whether the U.S. was considering negotiating an end to the massive subsidies that the Chilean government and others provide to the timber industry, but there was no response. We didn't expect support from the U.S. Trade Representative, but it is extremely disappointing that the White House Council on Environmental Quality is defending such an environmentally irresponsible position. If you have not, please make a call to Dan Sakura, the chief of staff for George Frampton, chair of the CEQ, to ask that the CEQ take a position at the WTO in support of forest protection. The CEQ number is (202)456-6224. The scene in Seattle today is frightening. Police are using tear gas to push demonstrators around the downtown. Innocent people like Victor are being arrested for simply talking with fellow activists on the street. And our government is articulating the same old tired positions. When asked how the U.S. could justify an increase in logging in Indonesia of 4.4%, including primary forests, when the rate of logging there is already one of the highest in the world, the sorry and shameless response of CEQ was that they didn't see it as a priority, their main concern is the environment in the U.S., and they don't want to impose on foreign governments. Very sad.
	To: All Activists From: Jim Jontz Date: November 30, 1999 HELP THE CAUSE IN SEATTLE: Make Two Calls to Protect Global Forests from Our Government Tens of thousands of citizens from all around the globe have convened in Seattle today to call attention to the public opposition to economic globalization at the expense of the environment, workers, and human rights. The adverse impact of the WTO on forests is in the spotlight. See today's New York Times front page photo to see the giant "Protect Forests, Clearcut the WTO" banner that U.S. forest activists marched with yesterday. In addition, there was an excellent article forests and WTO tariff liberalization in the Seattle Times today (www.seattletimes.com). The energy here in Seattle is incredible -- labor, environmental, and church groups marching together -- enormous commitment by tens of thousands of young people on the streets around the official meeting places, forest activists here from Canada, Mexico, Chile, Indonesia, Japan, the U.K., Denmark, and many other nations. What is most alarming, however, is that the U.S. continues to pretend that the WTO wood products proposal they are advancing doesn't have any environmental impact. Indonesia is losing 1.0% of their forests a year, illegal logging is so rampant there that even National Parks are being logged, 70% of Indonesia's forests are gone, and the U.S. pretends that there is nothing wrong with a trade agreement that their own study predicts will increase logging in Indonesia by 4.4%. Does the Clinton Administration think that no one would pay any attention? I'm certain that when the U.S. Trade Representative decided to make this Wood Products Agreement a priority (at the urging of the American Forest and Paper Association) that others in the Administration weren't aware of its importance. That is no longer an acceptable excuse, however. The agencies of our government such as the Council on Environmental Quality and the State Department who are supposed to be standing up for the environment have, to date, gone along with this proposal. The Clinton Administration and Vice President Gore talk about "balance" and protecting the environment. However, the Wood Products proposal isn't balanced at all -- there is nothing to protect forests, only to increase trade. Please support the efforts of the thousands of people in Seattle by making a pair of phone calls to two of Administration officials who should be standing up for forests: Undersecretary of State Frank Loy at (202)647-6240, and CEQ Chair George Frampton at (202)456-6224. Explain to them that people want the U.S. take a position that protects global forests, not liquidates them. Thanks! Steve Holmer Campaign Coordinator American Lands 726 7th Street SE Washington, D.C. 20003 202/547-9105 202/547-9213 fax wafcdc@americanlands.org www.americanlands.org

Nov 30 to Dec 3 Seattle, WA Labor Groups Challenge WTO on Trade Round by Adam Entous, Nov 29, 1999 SEATTLE (Reuters) - Labor groups Sunday stepped up pressure on the World Trade Organization to protect workers' rights, setting the stage for a week of confrontation as WTO ministers meet here to launch a new round of global trade negotiations. Leaders of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the U.S. AFL-CIO federation demanded WTO member nations put labor standards on the agenda for the new round, or face a backlash from workers around the globe. "If the ministers fail to act on what is an unmistakable demand from the world's peoples, they could well this week have set in train the beginning of the end of the WTO," said Bill Jordan, general secretary of the International Confederation. Labor's warning comes as trade ministers from 135 nations gather in Seattle Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 to try to narrow their differences over farm subsidies, labor standards and other issues that have bogged down preparations for a new round. If ministers succeed, a three-year negotiation would follow, aimed at reducing tariffs and other trade barriers in sectors ranging from agriculture and construction to entertainment, telecommunications and electronic commerce. Diplomats warned that heated disputes could scuttle the round before it even gets started. But organizers were confident that trade ministers would agree by Friday on an agenda launching the round, however narrow it may be. "In the end, there will be a successful launch of this round," White House economic adviser Gene Sperling said. "The differences that exist now will get ironed out in the late-hour negotiations." MAJOR HURDLES But reaching a consensus could prove a monumental task, as agriculture -- a highly protected sector that stirs passions around the world -- is a difficult issue. The United States and major agricultural produce-exporting nations want the European Union to scrap their farm export subsidies, which account for 85 percent of the world total. But the EU, backed by Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and Norway, has refused to give ground, infuriating U.S. farm groups and their allies in the U.S. Congress. European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said Sunday he did not see agriculture as the main stumbling block to reaching an agreement in Seattle to launch a new round of trade talks. "The European Union is ready to negotiate on agriculture," he told a news conference in Seattle, although he said that the 15-nation bloc would not agree to abolish farm export subsidies outright. "The question of total elimination is something we won't agree on as a matter of principle," he said. Lamy said he was hopeful that other major trading powers including the United States and Japan would support an EU proposal to grant duty-free access to 99 percent of products exported by the world's poorest countries. He said the issue of core labor rights, which has pitted wealthy countries against developing nations, could be a stumbling block in the Seattle talks. Developing nations have vowed to block U.S. and EU initiatives that would add minimum labor standards and environmental protection to the WTO agenda. WTO Director-General Mike Moore said trade was an ally of workers and not an enemy, but insisted that his organization's role was limited and there were other bodies like the International Labor Organization (ILO) that were better placed to promote workers' rights and labor standards. But the EU, the United States and other nations may have little room to maneuver on these and other thorny trade issues, fearing a backlash from domestic industries and workers worried that freer trade will cost them protected markets and jobs. To put pressure on negotiators, labor activists will clog the streets of Seattle Tuesday to protest the new round.

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