12th September: Teamwork in the pressure cooker12 September 2003
A tropical storm greeted us at dawn today.
Appropriately enough the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Chief Digby Jones and UK Trade Minister Patricia Hewitt arrived in Cancun today also - practically hand in hand. And not a moment too soon as the pressure is being piled on from all sides.
Inside the talks
Developing countries are determined that there will be no New Issues talks and there is no "level playing field". On the key issue of agriculture they say that even if the US and EU do sort out their subsidies it won't be enough.
Meanwhile the US is demanding compensation if they do cut subsidies. George Bush has been on the phone threatening Costa Rica, Colombia and Egypt with withdrawal of their aid if they don't submit.
On both issues developing countries are asking
why their alternative proposals aren't even on the table. There hasn't been an answer.
GATS, which isn't to be on the agenda but keeps popping up anyway, particularly over water, has been sent to the "miscellaneous" working group.
It's looking like the big boys must deliver or developing countries will simply say no - the Group of 77 said they are ready to walk. The Mexican Chair issued a statement saying everything is fine.
A little about the lobbyists
The pro-free trade European Services Forum, who say they are fighting for something called business' "right to establish" anywhere they want and that any restrictions on this must be "temporary", held a press conference in praise of GATS and Investment.
The CBI didn't give a briefing, but the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), of whom the CBI are members, did. I went along to hear what they had to say.
The ICC's biggest message in Cancun is that they "want governments to know they are here to support them". After some self-congratulatory questions from friendly journos, and allowing me a question, it went roughly like this:
Me: (with handful of smuggled in "explicit consensus" necklaces)
I am pleased to hear you want to support governments.
At my last count 107 say no New Issues. Will your support include wearing these ID lanyards?
PR guy: (briskly takes them and puts them all on) See? I'm wearing them.
Me: I was hoping the delegates would wear them.
IIC Secretary General Ms Cattaui: They don't go with what I'm wearing.
Me: I am distressed to hear you lower such an important issue to a matter of fashion.
PR guy: Are there any questions from legitimate journalists?
Amnesty International guy: This is an NGO briefing, are you saying NGOs are not allowed to ask questions?
This went on for some time until they left the room. Ah well.
Fighting back
To deal with all of this the Friends of the Earth International team fanned out.
Some went to the Africans' protest - singing and dancing in the street.
Zoellick look-a-
like complete with
corporate
sponsorship
like complete with
corporate
sponsorship
Others followed - a group of pro-GM industry guys handing out free GM food to the poor - with some anti-GM banners.
We also joined the Our World is Not for Sale protest inside the press centre. Two members - wearing masks of EC Comissioner Lamy and US Trade Representative Zoellick - were bullying others and throwing photocopied money around while the rest of us chanted "Stop WTO Bullying!"
It's now or never. How will this Mexican standoff end?
All the best,
Eve
Eve Mitchell, our Corporate Globalisation Campaigner is sending daily updates direct from WTO Ministerial.
