[9-16-03]

The failure of the World Trade Organization Ministerial in Cancun has been widely reported. We offer here a perspective you may not find in the U. S. press: a view from the South.

The Mexico Solidarity Network reports on the collapse of the meeting "amid North-South divide." Then a second report (below) focuses on impact of protests and marches by "thousands of campesinos, unionists, students, anarchists and NGOs."

WTO MEETING COLLAPSES AMID NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE

The World Trade Organization Ministerial in Cancun collapsed on Sunday amid irreconcilable disagreements between Northern nations, led by the United States, and southern countries, led by China, India and Brazil. Negotiations, extending into the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, were unable to bridge fundamental differences.

"The Bush Administration acted like total thugs to the other WTO member countries," according to Lori Wallach of Citizens Trade Campaign. "The U.S. hurled threats and name calling to try to pressure countries, but I think it backfired. ... The Kenyan Ambassador representing the African bloc walked out, then he was followed by the Jamaican ambassador for the Caribbean bloc. As soon as the Kenyan got down the escalator we could see on his face that it was OVER and he started telling what happened to those near him and then Ambassador Bernal from Jamaica confirmed what had happened. There must have been 150 civil society folks in here and in short order the Venezuelan, Nigerian, Kenyan, Brazilian, and other governments' negotiators who had stuck out the bullying came down and it was a blur of hugs, crying, hoots, etc."

On Saturday Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez, who chaired the meetings, offered a draft declaration that was swiftly rejected by other Southern countries. The proposal "has arbitrarily disregarded views and concerns expressed by us," said Indian Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley. "The document is very far from addressing the points we wanted," said Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim.

In the final analysis, there were almost no areas of agreement between Northern and Southern countries. Southern nations objected to massive agricultural subsidies by the US and EU that result in dumping of basic grains at prices below the cost of production, threatening the existence of millions of small Southern producers. Cotton was of particular concern to some smaller African and Asian countries that depend on cotton exports for a significant share of the GDP.

The US, EU and Japan tried to introduce the four so-called "Singapore issues" for negotiation, but over 90 members of the WTO objected. The "Singapore issues" would expand market access for multinational corporations, regulate competition, open government contracts to multinational bidders and affect cross-border transportation.

After the collapse, EU negotiators complained about WTO rules that prioritize consensus decision-making. EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy declared, "Despite the commitment of many able people, the WTO remains a medieval organization. I said this in Seattle, got a lot of flak and I have to repeat it here. The procedures and rules of this organization have not supported the weight of the task. There is no way to structure and steer discussions amongst 148 members in a manner conducive to consensus. The decision-making needs to be revamped." Apparently Lamy prefers decisions made by powerful countries behind closed doors.

US trade representative Robert Zoellick dismissed the concerns of Southern nations in condescending terms: "... useful consensus among 148 countries requires a serious disposition to focus on the work at hand and not rhetoric .. [I]f the WTO and its principal members continue with rhetoric instead of negotiation, the results will not be positive."

The WTO collapse and an increasingly assertive Southern block of "developing" nations represent additional elements in the political crisis brewing in Washington. Mired in guerilla wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and questioned on growing budget deficits and cuts in social programs at home, the Bush administration finds in a crisis of legitimacy that helped embolden Southern nations to stand firm. It may be that the failed WTO negotiations will be seen as a turning point, with Southern countries rejecting the neoliberal model and Washington's unilateral politics.

WTO PROTESTS SEND POWERFUL MESSAGE

Thousands of campesinos, unionists, students, anarchists and NGOs dominated much of Cancun this week with protest marches and workshops outlining alternatives to the WTO's neoliberal agenda. The largest protests, each about 10,000-strong, occurred on Wednesday and Saturday, with a Korean delegation numbering around 100 taking the lead both days. On Wednesday, Lee Kyung Hae, president of the Korean Federation of Advanced Farmers, committed ritual suicide during a demonstration at the metal fence that separated demonstrators from the hotel district where the WTO ministerial was held. Lee was a committed activist who saw the neoliberal policies promoted by the WTO as the death of campesinos. According to the Korean delegation, Lee's action was not planned, but was not unexpected, as he had tried to commit suicide twice before at international gatherings protesting the neoliberal model. Shortly after Lee's death, thousands of demonstrators destroyed a large section of the fence and battled with heavily protected police who threw nearly as many stones as the protestors. Lee's death forced Korean negotiators to leave the WTO ministerial.

The Korean delegation and a large group of women took charge of Saturday's demonstration, dismantling a triple-layer ten-foot-high steel fence, then leading a ceremony commemorating Lee's sacrifice. The ceremony ended with hundreds of demonstrators presenting white carnations to police. By that time it was becoming increasingly clear that the WTO would end in failure. The demonstration sent a powerful message that civil society is capable of destroying barriers, but also of disciplined action.

Many smaller creative demonstrations also had an impact. On Monday nude demonstrators spelled out NO WTO on a ritzy beach near the convention center where WTO negotiators gathered. Later in the week small groups of protestors blocked traffic in the hotel zone near the convention center for several hours at a time. On Saturday NGOs dumped a bag of genetically modified corn at the feet of US officials during a press conference, leading the WTO to ban NGOs from the press center. Puppets, banners and marching bands completed a week of creative mobilizations.