FTAA: Secret Negotiations

Dialogue 2000

In an interview that took place on Wednesday before a large delegation
of Argentinean social organizations, headed by Nobel Peace Laureate,
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, the Chancellor, Dr. Adalberto Rodríguez
Giavarini recognized society's right to know what is being negotiated
and to be able to democratically influence the constitution of the
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). He did reconfirm, however,
the secrecy of the negotiations, on the grounds that there is not
consensus among the group of participating countries to open the
process and make the texts known.

The Argentinean organizations formally presented a letter from the
Hemispheric Social Alliance, endorsed by hundreds of their
counterparts, from Canada to Tierra del Fuego, again urging the
publication of the FTAA texts, and that the lists of government
representatives in charge of each of the negotiating groups be made
available. The letter stated that trade liberation could have a
profound impact on our economies, societies and environment. There
must be a true public debate on the nature of the accords.

Despite the serious foreseeable consequences of implementation of the
FTAA, up until now the negotiations have taken place in almost
absolute secrecy. Such an attitude violates not only the right of
society to know and participate, but also, as stated by the same
letter, contradicts the declarations in favor of strengthening
democracy in the hemisphere, emitted at each of the Americas Summit
meetings, celebrated by the 34 governments that participate in this
process.

The Hemispheric Social Alliance is a network of social and union
organizations of the continent that are seeking to modify the on-going
regional integration processes, in order to mainstream the principles
of democracy, transparency and respect for all human rights, including
the right to autonomous development. The Argentinean Foreign Ministry
is at present acting chair of the FTAA Negotiating Committee.

In presence of the members of the Argentinean delegation, -which, in
addition to Pérez Esquivel, includes representatives of the C.T.A. and
C.T.G. (Moyano) unions, Diálogo 2000, El Caldero, Equipo de
Seguimiento, Investigación y Propuestas de Políticas para las Mujeres,
Foro para la Participación Ciudadana en las Políticas de Desarrollo,
Grupo Arco Iris, Madres de Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora, Red Fe y
Política and SERPAJ-, the Chancellor committed to opening a channel of
information and dialogue with Argentine society, concerning the
process of negotiations and governmental policies relating to the
creation of the FTAA and other integration agreements such as Mercosur
and Mercosur-European Union. The Under-secretary of Economic
Integration, Norberto Ianelli, who attended the interview in the
absence of the vice-chancellor and President of the Continental
Negotiating Committee, Ambassador Horacio Chighizola, would be
responsible for providing information and the necessary spaces for
dialogue.

The Argentinean Chancellor also recognized that the creation of the
FTAA will affect the population's Human Rights- including their right
to employment, fair salaries, social security, education, health and a
healthy environment-, when he commended Human Rights Secretary,
Ambassador Leandro Despuy, to be involved in the on-going trade
negotiations.

"It is important that he has committed to informing society and
engaging in dialogue about the FTAA", stated Pérez Esquivel at the
conclusion of the interview, "since, like the foreign debt, it is a
crucial matter for the future of our country and region, but it seems
to be taboo. However, it is necessary that they commit to opening the
process of the negotiations themselves, something which Argentina is
in a very good position to achieve due to the fact that it is at
present occupying the chair of the Negotiations Committee".

In response to these demands, the Chancellor promised that the
Argentinean government would present the matter again in the
Negotiations Committee it presides over. For their part, the
delegation of Argentinean organizations reiterated the expectations of
their counterparts from the entire hemisphere, to receive a formal
response to their petition and the fulfillment of their right to
democratic participation in this initiative which, in our country, is
viewed by many as the culmination of the process of economic,
political and societal transformation and subordination, that began 25
years ago with repression and indebtedness, applied under the military
dictatorship.

Presidential Summit Meeting

The FTAA negotiations are in a crucial period, that should culminate
in the "Third Presidential Summit of the Americas", planned for April
20, 2001 in Quebec, Canada. Fifteen days prior to that, in Buenos
Aires, the trade ministers of the continent will define the accords to
be signed by the Presidents, by which the FTAA should put into effect
by 2005.

Both high level meetings have prompted a state of alert and
mobilization for civil society organizations throughout the
hemisphere. These organizations are preparing to make themselves
heard in this FTAA process, as well as in all similar events that are
pushing forward what is perceived as concentrating globalization,
serving the interests of financial capital, and managed in an
authoritarian and antidemocratic manner, detrimental to the great
majority of citizens and without their knowledge or participation.

Only a few days before the anniversary of the events in Seattle; with
vibrations still reverberating from the happenings in Prague in
September; and with the growing popular movements in our own country
and the rest of the continent resisting the consequences of debt,
adjustment, privatization, and deregulation policies; social,
religious and union organizations have their sights set on the
meetings in Buenos Aires and Quebec next April.

What is the FTAA?

Initiated by the U.S. in 1994, the governments and businesspeople of
the continent have been actively promoting since then, the creation of
the largest commercial block in the world, the Free Trade Area of the
Americas (FTAA). The creation of the FTAA would involve much more
than the simple reduction of tariffs. The liberation of trade, in
addition to the stipulations concerning agriculture, intellectual
property rights, services, investment and other issues covered by the
negotiations, clearly could have a fundamental impact on our economy,
society and environment. Other political and military agreements, for
example, such as the Plan Colombia, are not unrelated to the FTAA
negotiation process.

What is the Hemispheric Social Alliance?

The HSA is a space for the accumulation of pluralist and flexible
forces, organized for integrated hemispheric action on the part of
civil society through a process of permanent inclusion of members and
based upon basic consensus. Its general objective is participative
democracy at the continental level, with a social dimension and the
promotion of alternative, sustainable development alternatives and
social justice. The Operational Coordination of the HSA is composed
of diverse social actors, among them ORIT, the Mexican Network for
Action on Free Trade, the Canadian coalitions Common Frontiers and the
Quebec Network on Continental Integration, the Brazilian Network for
the Integration of the Peoples and the US based Alliance for
Responsible Trade.

Their executive secretariat is located in Mexico, at
asc@laneta.apc.org. In Argentina, a considerable number of
organizations have endorsed the petition letter presented to the
Chancellor, among them unions, churches, environmental, women's,
professionals', and human rights organizations, as well as
organizations of production, local communities, political parties and
research institutes.