How France and Germany work to keep the third world countries (excuse me, LDC’s) poor:
The Doha round of trade negotiations is rapidly approaching a crisis. The behavior of some European countries is proving so selfish and shortsighted that key developing countries may soon come to the conclusion that it would be better to walk away from the table than carry on with wrangling over secondary issues while progress on the crucial one of agriculture is sabotaged.
Last week France and Germany cut a side deal that appears to rule out the fundamental reform of European agriculture, without which progress at the World Trade Organization is impossible. The deal aims to stop some subsidy cuts and perpetuate the absence of links between overproduction and the level of subsidies. In return for helping French farmers, Germany will get support on nonfarm issues dear to it.
So much for President Jacques Chirac’s oft-touted concern for the poor world. Having missed an opportunity as host of the Group of Eight summit meeting in Evian to lead Europe away from its annual agricultural subsidies of $50 billion – the biggest single contributor to Third World poverty – France is now stitching up the European Union’s reform plans. In the process, the Europeans are throwing away gains in influence that they expected from the global unpopularity of U.S. policies of preemption and military intervention.
Can we stop pretending that the French are better than other nations and realize that they are ONLY concerned with their own fianancial well-being? Before you get all gung-ho into your French bashing, recognize that we are not much better:
To underscore African anger, President Blaise Compaore Burkina Faso went to the WTO in Geneva last week to plead the case of African cotton farmers. He noted that many African countries opened their markets and ended farm subsidies in response to advice and pressure from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Now the poor but efficient farmers of Benin, Mali and Chad, as well as Burkina Faso, for whom cotton was a key crop, are being ruined by U.S. cotton subsidies.
Cotton subsidies in rich countries are 60 percent higher than the gross domestic product of Burkina Faso, and total farm subsidies six times greater than development aid. And there will be no farm subsidy reform in the United States unless there is also reform in the EU.
In short- free trade is simply a joke in the current rigged international system.
JKC
Good post, John.
You’re catching on, though, that much of what we call “free trade” is really “rigged trade.”
Keep it up and you’re going to end up sounding like one of us liberals… :)
musamuhammed
Dearest One,
I used this means of communications because
of time Shortage, so please kindly bear with me.
However, permit me to inform you of my desire of going
into business relationship with you.
I am Musa Muhamed only child of late Mr and
Mrs Mustapha Mohamed My father was a very wealthy
cocoa merchant based in Nigeria.
You might be suprised how i got your contact, but i
will like you to know that i got it from a reliable
source thorough the internet.
Before his death on the 30 Jan 2000,in the kenya
airways flight with registration number 5Y-BEN which
departed from Nairobi to Lagos on a business trip.
When my mother died on the 21St October 1984, my
father took me so special because I am motherless.
Before the death of my father on 30 JAN 2000. He
secretly called me and told me that he deposited sum
of USD$ 9,500,000 ( nine million five hundred
thousand, United states Dollars) in a vault box and
deposit it as family valuables,in a security company
here in Cote d’Ivoire.The security company does not
know the content of the box,since my late father
deposited it as family valuables.
He place my name as next of kin,and also gave the
documents pertaining the consignment to me.He also
explained that I should seek for a foreign partner in
a country of my choice where I will transfer this
money and use it to invest in a profitable
ventures,(such as real estate management). I am
honourably seeking your assistance in the following
ways.
1)To help in retrieve this box out from the security
company for immediate transfer of the fund to your
destination account in your country
(2)To serve as the guardian of this fund during and
after the
transaction.since I am a boy of 24 years
(3)To make arrangement for me to come over to your
country after the money has been transferred and
invest. Moreover, I am willing
to offer you 30% of the total sum as compensation for
your effort / input after the successful transfer of
this fund to your norminated account in overseas.
Furthermore, you can indicate your option towards
assisting me as I believe that this transaction would
be concluded within some days you signify your
interest to assist me. I will appreciate your early
responds. Anticipating to hear from you soon.
Thanks
and God Bless.
Best regards
Musa mohamed.
For verification my fathers death please visit this
website
http://www.aviation-safety.net/database/2000/000130-0.ht
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Shopping – with improved product search
http://shopping.yahoo.com
Move to folder… [New Folder]
Previous | Next | Back to Messages Save Message Text