Dr Patricia Ranald, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
'The report of the ALP members of the Senate Committee on the USFTA is contradictory, admitting it is a bad deal but still endorsing it,' - Dr Patricia Ranald
'The best approach is not to speculate and see what we learn on Tuesday' when the four testify, said Ben Stone, executive director of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union, which is representing one of the protesters.
Staff ReporterNational Assembly Speaker Park Kwan-yong on Tuesday agreed with party leaders to seek quick approval for several long-delayed bills, including those on the South Korea-Chile free trade agreement (FTA) and the dispatch of troops to Iraq.
Supachai Panitchpakdi, director-general of the World Trade Organisation, will take a more aggressive approach to chivvy governments into making progress in the stalled Doha world trade talks.
'It is scandalous that trade negotiators meet with big business and ignore demands of the small farmers or indigenous peoples forced off their land by multinational corporations,' said Tony Juniper,
The endorsements come amid new enthusiasm after a surprise push by Robert Zoellick, US trade representative, to resume negotiations despite US presidential elections, which many saw as a barrier.
Only 31 per cent of Americans favour subsidies for big farmers, though 77 per cent support subsidies for smaller farms, according to a PIPA / Knowledge Networks poll at the University of Maryland.
TWN Report by Martin Khor, Geneva 17 December 2003
Castillo said the meeting did not represent a breakthrough, and the Round is not yet back on track. But he was happy the members are in a pragmatic mood, ready to work.
