[Imc-newsroom] update on the WTO meeting

[Peter Miller]

>There's some very interesting stuff below.  The meeting appears to be 
>staying in Qatar...

-Peter




>From: qatar-update at iatp.org
>Subject: Qatar Update Vol. 1 Number 8
>Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 15:59:36 -0500
>
>Qatar Update (qatar-update at iatp.org)    Posted: 
>10/22/2001  By  dwiehoff at iatp.org
>============================================================
>
>Qatar Update
>Vol.1 Number 8
>October 22, 2001
>
>* * * C O N T E N T S * * *
>
>  - On the Road to Doha
>
>NEWS
>  - WTO Meeting Set To Stay In Doha After US Backing
>  - Qatar Ups Political Ante In Fight To Host Next WTO Ministerial
>  - WTO: Don't go to Singapore!
>  - EU/US Stand-Off at WTO Spells Disaster for Poor
>  - Global Unions Criticizes Remarks of US Trade Representative Zoellick
>  - A 'Crisis Of Legitimacy' Facing World Trade Meeting
>  - Qatari Officials Rule Out Postponing Of Doha Ministerial Set for November
>  - EU Offers Alternative Trade-Environment Text for Consideration at Doha 
> Ministerial
>  - World Trade Talks in Jeopardy
>  - WTO and Agriculture: Trading in Food Insecurity
>  - WTO Chair Offers Possible Compromise on Doha Ministerial Text for 
> Agriculture
>  - USTR Says 'Security' Primary Concern In Planning for WTO
>
>DOCUMENT LIBRARY
>  - Draft Ministerial Declaration
>  - Statement of the Coordinator of the LDCs on the Draft Ministerial 
> Declaration
>  - Open Letter on Institutional Reforms in the WTO
>  - Thoughts in the Presence of Fear
>  - Is There a Better Way? Alternative Approaches to Liberalization under 
> the GATS
>  - Rough Guide to Globalization, The
>  - CRISIS in WTO Talks!
>
>**********************************************************************
>On the Road to Doha
>After weeks of conflicting news and behind the scenes arm twisting, it is 
>almost official--the Doha Ministerial will take place in Doha on schedule, 
>November 9-13. Events leading up to the Ministerial, including the attacks 
>of September 11th, have left many feeling bruised and divided on where the 
>WTO is heading on a wide range of issues. The Institute for Agriculture 
>and Trade Policy's delegation to Doha is preparing to leave for Qatar. We 
>look forward to working with the other NGOs and country delegates who make 
>the journey. IATP will cover the proceedings on our Trade Observatory 
>website: WWW. WTOWatch.org.
>
>NEWS
>**********************************************************************
>WTO Meeting Set To Stay In Doha After US Backing
>By Guy de Jonquières in Shanghai and James Drummond in Doha Financial 
>Times   The US has sent a powerful message that it is determined to 
>overcome the effects of terrorism by reaffirming its commitment to the 
>staging of an important World Trade Organization meeting in the Middle East.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2923
>
>Qatar Ups Political Ante In Fight To Host Next WTO Ministerial
>Inside US Trade October 19, 2001  The government of Qatar this week 
>stepped up pressure on selected members of the World Trade Organization to 
>oppose any effort for moving the next ministerial to another location due 
>to perceived security threats.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2922
>
>WTO: Don't go to Singapore!
>PRESS STATEMENT  WTO: Don't go to Singapore!  Civil society groups 
>belonging to the worldwide Our World Is Not For Sale! coalition [1] call 
>on governments not to move the World Trade Organization's 4th Ministerial 
>to Singapore, where the public's right to demonstrate is effectively 
>illegal and developing countries will find it considerably more difficult 
>to participate.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2920
>
>EU/US Stand-Off at WTO Spells Disaster for Poor
>CAFOD News Release | October 15, 2001  CAFOD fears the chances for 
>achieving a fairer world trading system at the World Trade Organization 
>are being seriously damaged by the European Union and the United States.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2919
>
>Global Unions Criticize Remarks of US Trade Representative Zoellick
>ICFTU OnLine | October 12, 2001  Brussels - As the scheduled date for the 
>opening of the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference approaches, the 
>International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has strongly 
>criticized the remarks of United States Trade Representative Robert B.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2902
>
>A 'Crisis Of Legitimacy' Facing World Trade Meeting
>By Gustavo Capdevila Inter Press Service October 10, 2001  GENEVA, A group 
>of prominent non-governmental organizations (NGOs) based in industrialized 
>countries sent a sharply worded letter to the World Trade Organization 
>(WTO) charging that it "is facing a fundamental crisis of legitimacy" 
>which requires comprehensive institutional reforms.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2901
>
>Qatari Officials Rule Out Postponing Of Doha Ministerial Set for November
>By Daniel Pruzin The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.  Thursday October 
>11, 2001   GENEVA--Qatari officials have ruled out the idea of postponing 
>the World Trade Organization's fourth ministerial conference slated to 
>take place in Qatar's capital, Doha, from Nov.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2898
>
>EU Offers Alternative Trade-Environment Text for Consideration at Doha 
>Ministerial
>International Trade Daily | By Daniel Pruzin | October 10, 
>2001  GENEVA--The European Union put forward new proposals Oct. 8 aimed at 
>strengthening provisions in a draft WTO ministerial declaration related to 
>trade and the environment, but the initiative was panned by developing 
>countries as well as key EU trading partners such as the United States and 
>Canada.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2893
>
>World Trade Talks in Jeopardy
>The Guardian | Charlotte Denny | October 10, 2001  The European Union and 
>the United States are locked in a bitter dispute with developing countries 
>which could threaten the launch of a new round of global trade talks next 
>month in Qatar.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2892
>
>WTO and Agriculture: Trading in Food Insecurity
>Hindu Business Line (New Delhi/Chennai/Bangalore/Hyderabad, India) | 
>October 1, 2001 | By Devinder Sharma*  For any tourist, Kerala, in down 
>south India, is an attractive destination. The tropical climate and the 
>unique backwater systems have added charm to its pristine beauty.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2890
>
>WTO Chair Offers Possible Compromise on Doha Ministerial Text for Agriculture
>International Trade Daily | October 5, 2001 | By Daniel 
>Pruzin  GENEVA--The chairman of the World Trade Organization's General 
>Council has put forward the outlines of a possible compromise text for the 
>continuation of talks on agriculture within the context of a new trade round.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2889
>
>USTR Says 'Security' Primary Concern In Planning for WTO
>By Gary G. Yerkey The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.,  U.S. Trade 
>Representative Robert B. Zoellick suggested for the first time Sept. 25 
>that the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization--scheduled to 
>be held in Doha, Qatar, Nov.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/news/index.cfm?ID=2882
>
>
>DOCUMENT LIBRARY
>**********************************************************************
>Draft Ministerial Declaration
>This draft Ministerial Declaration is submitted for the consideration of 
>delegations by the Chairman of the General Council in co-operation with 
>the Director-General. It represents what they judge to be the best 
>possible basis at the present time for reaching an eventual consensus on a 
>balanced text to be put before Ministers in Doha.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/library/index.cfm?ID=1548
>
>Statement of the Coordinator of the LDCs on the Draft Ministerial Declaration
>The draft Declaration is extremely disappointing to the LDC Members of the 
>WTO. It has not adequately taken into account the interests of LDCs nor 
>our views.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/library/index.cfm?ID=1549
>
>Open Letter on Institutional Reforms in the WTO
>As WTO members meet for the final stretch of negotiations on the draft 
>Ministerial declaration before Doha, the undersigned NGOs urge them to 
>seriously address the systemic inequalities and imbalances, which have 
>prevented them from making meaningful progress on key substantial issues 
>and continue to cast doubts on the legitimacy and transparency of the 
>multilateral trading system.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/library/index.cfm?ID=1551
>
>Thoughts in the Presence of Fear
>We now have a clear, inescapable choice that we must make. We can continue 
>to promote a global economic system of unlimited "free trade" among 
>corporations, held together by long and highly vulnerable lines of 
>communication and supply, but now recognizing that such a system will have 
>to be protected by a hugely expensive police force.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/library/index.cfm?ID=1554
>
>Is There a Better Way? Alternative Approaches to Liberalization under the GATS
>The purpose of this paper is to identify some aspects of the GATS 
>structure and approach to liberalization that seem particularly deserving 
>of attention. If the rules do not impose unambiguous disciplines upon the 
>design and conduct of policy at the national level, they will not be 
>enforceable internationally.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/library/index.cfm?ID=1557
>
>Rough Guide to Globalization, The
>Globalization is in danger of becoming a swear-word, the target of 
>protests from Prague to Seattle. This briefing explains what globalization 
>is, its impact on the poor countries of the world, and what needs to change.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/library/index.cfm?ID=1566
>
>CRISIS in WTO Talks!
>The US, EU, as well as the WTO Secretariat, are exhibiting desperation in 
>their attempts to ram through a new round of trade negotiations, with a 
>host of new issues, by the time of the WTO Ministerial on 9 November.
>Get the details at:
>http://www.wtowatch.org/library/index.cfm?ID=1568
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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