JayJBee <jayjbee@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
news:47791d95$0$44953$dbd43001@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Le Monde Diplomatique January 2008
>
> Africa says no " and means it
>
> By Ignacio Ramonet
>
> Translated by Barbara Wilson
>
> The unimaginable has happened, to the displeasure of arrogant Europe.
> Africa, thought to be so poor that it would agree to anything, has said
> no in rebellious pride. No to the straitjacket of the Economic
> Partner****p Agreements (EPAs), no to the complete liberalisation of
> trade, no to the latest manifestations of the colonial pact.
>
> It happened in December at the second EU-Africa summit in Lisbon, where
> the main objective was to force the African countries to sign new trade
> agreements by 31 December 2007 in accordance with the Cotonou Convention
> of 2000 winding up the 1975 Lom(c) accords. Under these, goods from
> former colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific are im****ted
> into the European Union more or less duty-free, except for products such
> as sugar, meat and bananas that are a problem for European producers.
> The World Trade Organisation has insisted that these preferential
> arrangements be dismantled or replaced by trade agreements based on
> reciprocity, claiming that this is the only way African countries can
> continue to enjoy different treatment. The EU opted for completely free
> trade in the guise of EPAs. So the 27 were asking African, Caribbean and
> Pacific countries to allow EU goods and services to enter their markets
> duty-free (1).
>
> The president of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, denounced these strong-arm
> tactics, refused to sign and stormed out. South Africas Thabo Mbeki
> immediately sup****ted his stand and Namibia also decided not to sign
> (bravely, since an increase in EU customs duties would make it
> impossible for Namibia to ex****t or continue to produce beef). Even
> French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who made unfortunate remarks at Dakar
> in July 2007 (2), sup****ted the countries that were most strongly
> opposed to these agreements, saying he was in favour of globalisation
> but not the despoliation of countries that had nothing left (3).
>
> The EPAs aroused wide public concern. Social movements and trade union
> organisations south of the Sahara mobilised against them. And the revolt
> against them bore fruit: the summit ended in failure. The president of
> the European Commission, Jos(c) Manuel Barroso, was forced to back down
> and accept
> the African countries call for further discussions. He has promised to
> resume negotiations in February.
>
> This crucial victory is another sign that things are improving for
> Africa. In the past few years, the bloodiest conflicts have been
> settled, leaving only Darfur, Somalia and East Congo. Democratic
> progress has been consolidated and local economies prosper under the
> guidance of a new generation of leaders, despite social inequalities.
>
> Africa has another asset in the form of massive Chinese investments.
> China will overtake the EU as one of the continents principal
> suppliers and could beat the United States to become its most im****tant
> client by 2010. The time when Europe could impose disastrous structural
> adjustment programmes is long gone. Africa has had enough.
>
> End Notes
>
> (1) The Caribbean countries agreed to initial an EPA with the EU on 16
> December 2007.
>
> (2) In his speech at the University of Dakar on 26 July 2007 Sarkozy
> said the tragedy of Africa was that Africans had not really entered
> history and were not eager to embrace the future. See Anne-C(c)cile
> Robert, Franafrique Sarkozy-style, Le Monde diplomatique, English
> edition, September 2007.
>
> (3) Le Monde, Paris, 15 December 2007.
>
>
>
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Ja JJB, in Kenia is men nu ook zeer rebels geworden.
Wat een beschaving he?
--
Bye,
Willem-Jan Markerink
The desire to understand
is sometimes far less intelligent than
the inability to understand
<w.j.markerink@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
[note: 'a-one' & 'en-el'!]
|
