FW: [wto-info] Mandelson: Over the Top in DC Speech

Interesting comments by Mandelson...

 

-----Original Message-----
From: mritchie@iatp.org [mailto:mritchie@iatp.org]
Sent: mercredi 14 septembre 2005 22:33
To: webjournalist@twnafrica.org
Subject: [wto-info] Mandelson: Over the Top in DC Speech

 

WTO Info <wto-info@lists.iatp.org> -- posted by mritchie@iatp.org

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Mandleson gave a speech at our National Press Club. He said some truly

astonishing things:

 

1. "Doha is a trans-atlantic business.... It used to be just US and EU"

making the decisions at WTO and then everyone else signed off. US and EU

must show leadership and come up with a proposal to present to the other

cos. "This is necessary, but not sufficient" "Thus, we must recognize

the role Brazil and India can play to show a more collective style of

leadership."

 

2. "We should rethink the North South divide given major new dividesin

the south..."

 

3. Developing country negotiators both demand and distrust US-EU

leadership. They urge us to come up with a deal, they ask us to go work

it out amongst ourselves, but then the same negotiators critcize us when

we show leadership.

 

4. In the course of this speech, Mandelson repeated the phrase:

"BACKWARD, INWARD, ISOLATIONIST, PROTECTIONIST, AND NATIONALIST"  7

times in describing: opponents of CAFTA, opponents of his agenda at WTO,

anyone in mid-tier develping countries who want to maintain high

tariffs, those who want scale back ambittions at WTO, critics of

progressive liberalization, etc. Referring to the majoirty in US polling

who opposed CAFTA he added NARROW MINDED, FEARFUL, PEOPLE WHO PUL A

BLANKET OVER THEIR HEADS AND EMERGE LATER AS IF IT WILL BE THE SAME and

as those with NO LONG TERM FUTURE. Regdarding the Democrats who voted

against CAFTA, as well as what Congress Daily reports below, he also

urged them to 'take a more honest view""  and the quote noted below was

actually much more snotty: Playing to the gallery, pandering isn't good

enough FOR RESPONSBILE POLITICIANS." Not very diplomatic!

 

5. US- EU ability to get WTO negots back on track are test of ability of

whether we can unite and cooperate in the face of terrorism; Ability to

have an ambitious outcome at Hong Kong WTO Ministerial is test of

ability of whether we can unite and cooperate in the face of terrorism;

various other seeming unr;ated items are also test of ability of whether

we can unite and cooperate in the face of terrorism.

 

The spin and mesage discipline shows he was once UK's Director of

Communications (ie White House press secretary equivilent) but what the

attack on Dems would seem to make less probable is that it was for

Blair, not Thatcher!

 

On "substance" - He talked a lot about how it had to be an ambitious

round. How weak kneeed fear of trade-related job loss and displacement

was leading to dangerous wave of protectionism wordwide even though all

agree that the only route to alleviate poverty is "progressive

liberalization. You can forget the idea that poor countries can develop

behind protections. (and now this is realy rich...) We must provide them

with the route we rich countries used in industrialization. WE SHOULDN'T

PULL THE LADDDER UP AND DENY OTHERS THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES."

 

A. SERVICES: "There are some effective campaigns in the US and EU for

service sector liberalization. I only ask that you speak wioth a louder

and more powerful voice..."  Unbelievable: he calls on corporations to

beat harder on the governments!

 

B. NAMA: Major left over business of UR was high tariffs in mid-level

countries.

 

C. Said various things on ag - I am about to forward a news story that

reports it pretty well

 

D. Admitted that for poorest WTO members, which he said was half of the

cos, gains from Round would be less than for middle income countrie and

thus the US would have to just suck it up and jpin EU in strategy of

buying developing countries agreement on Doha Round by offering major

"infrasturcture gains" (??) capacity building funding and also providing

real market access offers

 

 

And, if you did not have enuf, he closed by calling for urgent US-EU

propgress in reviving the talks in "the most democratic mechanisms of

international governance, the WTO."

 

Lori M. Wallach

Director

Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch

215 Pennsylvania Ave SE

Washington, DC  USA   20003

1-202-546-4996

1-202-547-7392 (fax)

www.tradewatch.org

 

>>> Eliza Brinkmeyer 9/14/2005 9:45:25 AM >>>

 

National Journal's CongressDailyAM

Issue date: Wednesday, September 14, 2005

 

Mandelson Disappointed By Dems' Stand On Trade

     European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said Tuesday that

the opposition of Democrats to trade agreements has disappointed him and

he now fears Republicans are following their lead.

     It is rare for foreign officials to comment on domestic politics,

but Mandelson told a National Press Club luncheon that, "It's

disappointing to me to see so many friends that I have in the Democratic

Party turning their backs on free trade and now dragging the Republicans

behind them."

     Mandelson, a former Labor Party politician in Great Britain and an

architect of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's campaigns, added,

"Pandering to the gallery isn't good enough." But he added that, as a

former politician, "I understand what the ballot box can do to your

deeply held views."

     Mandelson repeated statements he has made for U.S.-E.U. cooperation

in the Doha round of trade talks and said worldwide economic fears

raised by Hurricane Katrina are another reason for the United States to

give a signal of economic leadership.

     Mandelson also called on middle-income countries to reduce their

tariffs on industrial products and services, but did not mention those

countries reducing agricultural tariffs, a key U.S. demand in the Doha

round.   

 

 

 

 

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