CLAIMS FURTHER LIB IS ECONOMIC SUICIDE
FTA says WTO text biased

Saying that any further liberalization is economic suicide, multisector group Fair Trade Alliance (FairTrade) yesterday said the government should reject the new text drafts issued by trade negotiating committees of the World Trade Organization (WTO) because it remains biased to developed countries.

FairTrade convenor Dave Diwa said while other developing countries have voiced out their criticisms, the Philippines has not made any public statement about new trade developments arising from the new draft texts issued by trade negotiating committees of the WTO in agriculture, industry, fisheries, and services.

The new drafts hope to address the issues and close the gaps between and among the trade interests of the developing and the developed countries.

FairTrade said government should break its silence and put the country's interest ahead in responding to the drafts, adding that it should first address the food and fuel crises before accepting any economic liberalization that will only exacerbate poverty and economic weakening.

He said at this time of rising food and fuel prices "accepting new and further economic liberalization without the necessary preparedness and trade flexibilities for the vulnerable sectors is tantamount to economic and political suicide."

"Upon closer examination of the drafts, it still remains highly skewed and imbalanced in favor of the developed countries," Diwa said.

He said that while pressuring developing countries to open up their agriculture by imposing tariff-slashing formulas, the United States, European Union, Japan and Australia still maintain huge agricultural subsidies The US for example maintains a farm subsidy cap $13 billion,.

Diwa also noted that talks on special and differential treatment such as the special products (SP) and special safeguard mechanism (SSM) that developing countries are hoping to get out of the negotiations to sustain the livelihood of millions of small-scale farmers and fisherfolk in the rural communities are not moving forward.

Diwa said developing countries such as Brazil , India , Indonesia and some African countries are highly critical of the new texts.