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Indybay Feature

WTO UPDATE: LATEST NEWS FROM DOHA

by irc log
An Indymedia reporter who is in the Sheraton in Doha just gave this report on irc. This is an excerpt from the irc report that he gave just minutes ago.

more to follow in next few hours.
mexicatl: hello, updates from doha, no time or capability for audio updates
mexicatl: it is now 4:05 am here. i am inside the sheraton hotel now, most of the people have left since an announcement on any decision has been delayed until 7:00 am
mexicatl: the discussion are going on as i write this inside the "green rooms"
mexicatl: issues are limited to a 2-3 key countries now
mexicatl: i've heard india is being difficult
mexicatl: no, EU and US are very much on the same line
mexicatl: france is being represented by the EU trade commisioner pascal lamy (lemy)?
mexicatl: france is being represented by the EU trade commisioner pascal lamy (lemy?)
anna: lamy
mexicatl: now, india and ACP (african caribeean block) have a agreement of solidarity
mexicatl: africa being difficult too.
mexicatl: quotes from Mr. Lazare Sehouto, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Employment for Benin:
mexicatl: "If there is a new round of trade talks, it will probably not include Africa"
mexicatl: "Some delegations like Mexico's are protecting low wage jobs and American companies"
mexicatl: "The Mexican delegation is an arm of the United States"
mexicatl: (sorry for the mexican bias, but it was a very informal chat and I still have problems with me french
mexicatl: )
mexicatl: "There is some cohesion within the African nations"
mexicatl: "The EU and the United States are unwilling to make consessions"
blicero: mexicatl you are giving me one of the greatest news in my life!!
blicero: ;)
mexicatl: these came from a short interview i did with him about two hours ago, as he was leaving
anna: acp is africa, caribbean + pacific rim
mexicatl: he wasn't too happy and decided that since it had already run over, then he would leave. left his delegation to deal with the rest.
blicero: they kick ass
blicero: africa confederation is our only hope of a third economic system
blicero: no socialist no capitalist
mexicatl: more recently i just chatted with a the Minister of Commerce for the Ivory Coast, Mr. Eric Kplohourou Kahe
blicero: tribal communitarianism !! ;)))))))
mexicatl: this was about 20 minutes ago
blicero: when will you upload all of this studd?
mexicatl: i'm about the only press that is still here (!)
blicero: I am eager ;))))
mexicatl: oh, before all this happened (as in last night) word was that the TRIPS agreement had been reached, but was very vague and lacking in details
mexicatl: some provisions for Least Developed Countries
mexicatl: quotes from Mr. Kahe
mexicatl: who is this second involved in the discussions inside the green room
mexicatl: "The subsidies issue has been agreed upon, but the environment and investment is still contested"
mexicatl: "The discussion could go beyond 7:00 am"
mexicatl: "The EU and the US are finally making concession"
mexicatl: my own analysis tells me that the eu and the us are getting desperate
mexicatl: the acp countries would not agree to anything that might harm their subsidies therefore i think that it is the us who gave in
mexicatl: i have talked to a delegate from brazil and from the EC (european commission), they said they didn't know anything about this
mexicatl: the two delegates from africa were the chief delegates, unlike the brazilian and the EC ones
mexicatl: they're probably better informed :)
mexicatl: here in the hallway i can count about 10 people, as opposed to about 300 just 3 hours ago
mexicatl: tension is intense though, massive security everywhere
mexicatl: no private cars or taxis can enter the red zone. one must go to the dana club, about 2-3 km from the sheraton where they pick up the shuttle here
mexicatl: there was an ngo protest earlier today, about 30 took par
mexicatl: it was limited to the press center and the outside hall connection it to the rest of the sheraton complex
mexicatl: a wall of security prevented them from entering, even though they had creditation
anna: 30 ngos or 30 people?
mexicatl: ngo here = one person. one person per ngo was accredited.

end irc log

stay tuned for more news in 3 hours.
by Patrick Mulvany, ITDG, UK (patrickm [at] itdg.org.uk)
Latest(11:30 am): reposted from correspondent in Doha

After a long night of green room the text that emerges is worse in many
senses than the last one. there will be negotiations on singapore issues
once there is consensus on the modalities at the 5th ministerial / with
capacity building. On agriculture, without prejudicing the negotiations -
with a view to phasing out export subsidies. On environment it makes
environment subordinate to WTO.

Negotiations on Environment, Market access and inbuilt agenda are to start
now. Trips and health declaration remains.

Who wrote the text no one knows, the secretariat probably. The secretariat
was fixing bilateral meetings last night between Lamy and individual
delegations and were trying to break up countries - eg/ thailand and
phillipines. As i am typing this, Indian commerce minister is an
arm-twisting session with Mr. Mike More and Lamy.

South africa is happy with the text, bolivia as a cairns gp member is
unhappy, but wont break the conference. Apparantly US has given up on
textiles and dumping. India might be pusuaded to agree as its got some
concessions on textiles. Dominican Republic is unhappy on geographical
indications.

No one looks unhappy, i think at this stage it would be quite hard for
countries to block it. We really have to see who might have the courage.
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