From dwiehoff@iatp.org Thu Jan 9 20:51:36 1997 Date: 09 Jan 1997 13:50:32 From: dwiehoff@iatp.org To: Recipients of conference Subject: Re: NAFTA & Inter-American Trade Monitor [The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] From: dwiehoff@iatp.org (Dale Wiehoff) Subject: NAFTA & Inter-American Trade Monitor 1-3-97 NAFTA & Inter-American Trade Monitor Produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Wednesday, November 27, 1996 Volume 3, Number 23 __________________________________________ Headlines: -SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT -CANADA-U.S. DAIRY DISPUTE CONTINUES -WHEAT HARVEST UP, PRICES DOWN IN SOUTH AMERICA -MERCOSUR SUMMIT -RESOURCES/EVENTS ___________________________________________ SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The Organization of American States-sponsored Hemispheric Summit on Sustainable Development, which brought representatives from 34 countries, the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations, and environmental organizations to Santa Cruz, Bolivia on December 7-8, ended with consensus. The Santa Cruz Declaration and a 65-clause Plan of Action, approved by applause rather than votes, acknowledged that, "Any attempt to protect our ecological system while ignoring human needs constitutes a political, moral and practical impossibility." Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada insisted that the summit consider what he called the four foundations of sustainable development: economic development, social policies to fight poverty, participative democracy and respect for nature. 'Without economic development," said Sanchez de Lozada, "it is not possible to address social and human needs, maintain political stability, nor much less attend to the environment." Sanchez de Lozada called the enormous gap between the economic growth and standards of living of the northern countries and the rest of the nations the greatest obstacle to regional integration, reminding summit participants that the Bolivian economy is 10 percent of the Chilean economy and one percent of the Brazilian economy, which is just 10 percent of the U.S. economy. The Summit documents recommended more of the neo-liberal economic policies that have been the trend of the past decade, including specific recommendations for moving toward market-based pricing of water, energy resources, and forest products, and for increased reliance on markets, free trade, and private property. Unions, women's movements, universities, business groups, neighborhood associations, grassroots organizations, intellectuals and indigenous groups attending the summit urged that power be returned to communities and warned that free trade has not been a panacea. "Since the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), the costs of economic globalisation, for both human communities and ecosystems, have been steadily growing," according to the non-governmental groups' Summit document. Stressing the higher priority that the United States assigns to environmental issues, U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Sanchez de Lozada met separately to finalize an agreement to protect 2.2 million acres of endangered tropical rain forest and promote sustainable development in and around Noel Kempff Mercado National Park in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Ohio-based American Electric Power (AEP) and two non-profit organizations The Nature Conservancy and Fundaci^×n Amigos de la Naturaleza (FAN) will participate in the project. Under the terms of the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change, the U.S. and more than 150 other countries committed to balancing greenhouse gas emissions. Protection of rainforests under this agreement may offset as much as 14.5 million metric tons of carbon over 30 years, benefiting AEP and the investors to whom it sells shares. Juan Carlos Rocha, "NGOs Urge Participation and Responsible Trade," INTERPRESS SERVICE, December 6, 1996; Juan Carlos Rocha, "Fragile North-South Consensus Reached," INTERPRESS SERVICE, December 9, 1996; Peter McFarren, "Gore Targets the Environment," ASSOCIATED PRESS, December 7, 1996; "Vice President Gore Announces Approval of International Project to Protect Bolivian Rain Forest," AEP PRESS RELEASE, December 7, 1996; Juan Carlos Rocha, "Drafts of Declaration Approved Despite Differences," INTERPRESS SERVICE, November 27, 1996; Alejandro Chafuen, "A Latin Summit Plans a Harder Look at Ecopolitics," WALL STREET JOURNAL, December 6, 1996. CANADA-U.S. DAIRY DISPUTE CONTINUES U.S. officials continue to attack Canadian dairy and poultry tariffs in the aftermath of a NAFTA dispute resolution panel ruling that the tariffs are consistent with the North American Free Trade Agreement. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and Acting U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky released a joint statement expressing deep disappointment in the ruling, and promising that the United States "will do everything possible, consistent with trade laws, to seek the ultimate elimination of these duties and to improve U.S. access to the Canadian market for dairy, poultry, egg, barley and margarine products." Glickman and Barshefsky also expressed U.S. concern that the Canadian tariffs are inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules. The NAFTA panel ruling came after prolonged negotiations between the United States and Canada failed to resolve disagreement over Canadian imposition of tariff rate increases as a substitute for previously existing quotas, consistent with the World Trade Organization mandate for tariffication. The United States requested formation of the dispute panel in July 1995, and the panel's final ruling was issued in November 1996. Members of the U.S. President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiation called attention to an earlier General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade panel finding that some Canadian restrictions on ice cream and yogurt were GATT-inconsistent. Warned that the provisions of the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA, which exclude the dairy and poultry industries from coverage, may be inconsistent with the World Trade Organization rule that substantially all trade must be covered if an agreement is to qualify as a free trade agreement, rather than a preferential agreement prohibited under WTO rules. A WTO review of Canada's trade regime, released November 19, criticizes Canadian protection of dairy, poultry, and egg industries, but noted that Canadian government expenditures on agriculture have been reduced by 20 percent since 1993, due to elimination of grain transport subsidies. Statement, Secretary Dan Glickman and Acting U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky, December 2, 1996; Press release, "Panel Findings Could Nullify U.S.-Canada Trade Agreement," U.S. President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations Press Release, "Panel Findings Could Nullify U.S.-Canada Trade Agreement," December 11, 1996; Ian Elliott, "Canadian Farm Policy Reviewed at WTO," FEEDSTUFFS, December 2, 1996. WHEAT HARVEST UP, PRICES DOWN IN SOUTH AMERICA As crop estimates for the just-begun Argentine wheat harvest put production up by more than 50 percent over the 1995-96, prices fell from $275 per ton during the first half of 1996 to $122 in December. Although Brazil's harvest appears not much changed from last year, Brazilian wheat producers will also feel the impact of lower prices. Worldwide production of wheat is expected to reach 575 million tons for the agricultural year that began in July, according to the International Council of Grains, up from 539 million tons the previous year. More than 100 million tons are exported annually, with Brazil the world's second-largest importer, following China. Mario Osava, "Wheat Harvest Up, Prices Down," INTERPRESS SERVICE, December 3, 1996. MERCOSUR SUMMIT Overcoming last-minute conflicts with Argentina, Bolivia signed a free trade agreement with the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur) at its biannual summit in Fortaleza, Brazil on December 16-17, making it the second country, after Chile, to sign an agreement with the group. At a joint news conference at the end of the summit, Argentine President Carlos Menem claimed that Mercosur has a higher level of internal integration than that of NAFTA, while Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso described Mercosur as a "training ground" for the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas. Cardoso dismissed criticism that Mercosur is growing at the expense of trade with outsiders, pointing out that Mercosur trade with third countries has more than doubled to $59 billion since Mercosur's beginning five years ago. Although a November meeting between the Andean Community and Mercosur did not produce a final framework accord for negotiation on a combined free trade area, negotiators said that the meeting ended in delay rather than failure. Negotiators had hoped that the presidents of the four Mercosur nations Ñ Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay Ñ and the five Andean bloc nations Ñ Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela Ñ could sign a framework agreement at the biannual Mercosur summit in Fortaleza, Brazil on December 16-17. Protesting exclusion of labor issues from the summit, thousands of union members from the four Mercosur countries stopped traffic in downtown Fortaleza. Adrian Dickson, "Mercosur Chiefs Laud Pace of Economic Integration," REUTER, December 17, 1996; Adrian Dickson, "Bolivia to Join Booming Mercosur Trading," REUTER, December 17, 1996; Abraham Lama, "Steady, Slow Moves Toward Super-Bloc," INTERPRESS SERVICE, November 26, 1996; Juan Carlos Rocha, "Argentina and Bolivia at Odds Over Mercosur," INTERPRESS SERVICE, December 3, 1996. RESOURCES/EVENTS NAFTA and the Expansion of Free Trade: Current Issues and Future Prospects, February 26-28, 1997, Tucson, Arizona. Symposium sponsored by the Arizona Journal of International and Comparative Law will focus on expansion of free trade in the Western Hemisphere through NAFTA and other agreements, such as the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur.) Specific areas to be addressed: political and legal considerations relating to near-term expansion of NAFTA; impact of consumer and business access to credit on trade expansion; dispute resolution under NAFTA and other international mechanisms; relationship under NAFTA of freer trade and labor relations; dealing with trade and environmental conflicts in the context of regional economic integration. For information, contact either Arizona Journal of International and Comparative Law at NAFTA@law.arizona.ed or University of Arizona College of Law Development Office at 520/621-8430. Tracking U.S. Trade, a monthly publication of the Center for the Study of Western Hemispheric Trade. For free monthly copy, distributed by e-mail or fax, contact Center for the Study of Western Hemispheric Trade, 3925 W. Braker Lane/MCC bldg., Ste. 1.900 Austin, TX 78758; telephone 512/475-8679; fax 512/475-7966; e-mail trade@uts.cc.utexas.edu. The Morning NAFTA, a newsletter published by the Canadian Labour Congress, highlights labor issues and free trade agreements, particularly NAFTA and the new Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement. For information or subscription, contact NAFTA Desk, Canadian Labour Congress, 2841 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 8X7. ENFOQUE, a biannual publication of the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego. 16 pp. For subscription information, contact Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California- San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Dept. 0510, La Jolla, CA 92093-0510; telephone 619/534-4503; fax 619/534-6447. Includes research updates, information on the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, listings of publications of the Center. Labor in NAFTA Countries, a periodic bulletin of the Commission for Labor Cooperation, North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation. 8 pp. Order from Secretariat of the Commission for Labor Cooperation, One Dallas Center, 350 N. St. Paul, Suite 2424, Dallas, TX 75201-4240; telephone 214/754-1100; fax 214/754-1199; e-mail info@naalc.org. Labor and Industrial Relations Law in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, published by the Secretariat of the Commission for Labor Cooperation, North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation. 1996. 40 pp. $10 U.S.; $12 Canada. To order, contact Secretariat of the Commission for Labor Cooperation, One Dallas Center, 350 N. St. Paul, Suite 2424, Dallas, TX 75201-4240; telephone 214/754-1100; fax 214/754-1199; e-mail info@naalc.org. Forum on Democratic Alternatives to Structural Adjustment in the Americas. Summary of papers presented at May 21, 1996 forum organized by The Development GAP and Equipo Pueblo. 18 pp. For copies of summary or of full text papers, contact The Development GAP, 927 Fifteenth Street, NW - 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone 303/898-1566; Fax 202/898-1612. Email dgap@igc.apc.org. Presentations include "The Oaxaca Initiative": A Framework for Equitable and Sustainable Development in the Americas; "The Liberty Referendum": An Alternative Economic Strategy for Mexico; "The Popular Alternative": A Basis for a New Economic Plan for El Salvador. Comparison of Mexican and United States Occupational Safety and Health Legislation, Regulation, and Enforcement, UAW Health and Safety Department. 1993. 12 pp. Order from Health and Safety Department, International Union, UAW, 2000 East Jefferson, Detroit, MI 48214. Telephone 313/926-5566. Comparison of worker protection laws concludes that the Mexican system is substantially deficient and that Mexican enforcement mechanisms are very limited. Includes examination of health standards for chemical exposure and key safety standards. Free Trade and Economic Restructuring in Latin America, edited by Fred Rosen and Deidre McFadyen. North American Congress on Latin America, 1995. 288 pp. Order from Monthly Review Press, 122 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001. $16. Twenty-seven essays focus on free trade as the globalization of the neo-liberal agenda, examining effects of neo-liberal structural-adjustment and free trade policies in twelve countries of the Americas, and the U.S. role in those policies. Planting Trouble: The Barz^×n Debtors' Movement in Mexico by Heather L. Williams. Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, 1996. To order, contact: Publications Order Department, Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California - San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive Dept 0510, La Jolla, CA 92093; telephone 619/534-1160; fax 619/534-6447 e-mail usmpubs@weber.ucsd.edu. Documents the evolution of El Barz^×n from its beginnings after the currency devaluation of December 1994 to the present, from the perspective of the agriculturalists and consumer debtors who built the organization to protest exorbitant interest charges and lack of credit. Regionalization in the World Economy: NAFTA, The Americas, and Asia-Pacific, edited by Van R. Whiting, Jr. Published by Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, 1996 in association with Macmillan India. To order, contact: Publications Order Department, Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California - San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive Dept 0510, La Jolla, CA 92093; telephone 619/534-1160; fax 619/534-6447 e-mail usmpubs@weber.ucsd.edu. Includes seven essays on NAFTA and the Ameicas, six chapters on Asia-Pacific, several detailed industry studies and overviews of global regionalization, including contrasting U.S. and Japanese perspectives. Latino Politics in California, edited by An^Òbal Y^Ç^Öez-Ch^Çvez. 139 pp. Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies. $12.95. To order, contact: Publications Order Department, Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California - San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive Dept 0510, La Jolla, CA 92093; telephone 619/534-1160; fax 619/534-6447 e-mail usmpubs@weber.ucsd.edu. Analyzes Latino politics in California, including history, demography, and contemporary Latino ethnic politics. Chapters are revisions of papers originally presented at conference on "Latino Politics in San Diego County" in May, 1996. Includes discussion of shape of age pyramid in Latino population, immigration status, cross-border population flows, housing patterns and tenure, employment status and income and education. Mexico at the Crossroads: Politics, the Church, and the Poor, Michael Tangeman. Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY: 1995. 138 pp. Order from Orbis Books, Order Department, Box 302, Maryknoll, NY 10545. Telephone 800/258-5838; fax 914/945-0670. Email: orbmarketg@aol.com. $17. Explores history of interaction between Mexico's rich elite, the church and the poor majority, including background on Zapatista uprising, debates over NAFTA, and impact of neo-liberal policies on the poor. Stubborn Hope: Religion, Politics and Revolution in Central America, Phillip Berryman. Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY: 1994. 276 pp. Order from Orbis Books, Order Department, Box 302, Maryknoll, NY 10545. Telephone 800/258-5838; fax 914/945-0670. Email: orbmarketg@aol.com. $13.95. Includes introduction to church involvement in revolution in Central America, growth of evangelical churches in recent years, and clashing understandings of Christian faith. NAFTA & Inter-American Trade Monitor is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Mark Ritchie, President. Edited by Mary C. Turck. Electronic mail versions are available free of charge for subscribers. For information about fax subscriptions contact: IATP, 2105 1st Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55404. Phone: 612-870-0453; fax: 612-870-4846; e-mail: iatp@iatp.org For information on subscribing to this and other IATP news bulletins, send e-mail to: iatp-info@iatp.org. IATP provides contract research services to a wide range of corporate and not-for- profit organizations. For more information, contact Dale Wiehoff at 612-870-0453 or send email to: dwiehoff@iatp.org