CONTRASTS AND COUNTER-POSITIONS IN CANCUN

Report from Dot Keet on behalf of the African Peoples Caucus in Cancun

Over the past few eventful days, dozens of activists from South Africa
have been on the streets of Cancun, Mexico, immersed
amongst thousands of small farmers and fisher people from all over the
world, indigenas from Chiapas and workers from
Mexico and neighbouring Latin American countries, and hundreds of trade
unionists, development and environmental NGOs
and other civil society organisations from Africa and the Caribbean,
Asia and Europe, and even the United States, Canada
and Japan.

What is amazing and inspiring is that the many colourful banners and
placards, flags and chants, songs and drumming, each
with their distinctive cultural characteristics, all carry similar
messages against the World Trade Organisation, against the unjust
and destructive economic system it is being used for, against the
damages to the world environment, to peoples livelihoods
and to their very lives - as expressed so dramatically in the symbolic
suicide of the Korean farmer, Lee Kyung Hae.

With their own unique style of political expression, singing and
toyi-toying South African activists were drawn to the forefront
of the farmers march. There they witnessed up close the ultimate act of
protest by the Korean farmer. That night we sent our
solidarity message to the Korean brothers and sisters and joined in the
vigils at the fountain where most demonstrations
converge. And, far away, even within the very WTO conference centre
itself, 'accredited' NGOs protested with the same
message that "The WTO Kills!"

The following day, when the African Peoples Caucus held their own
demonstration expressing their opposition to the theft by
the World Theft Organisation of Africa's development resources, rights
and prospects, we received enthusiastic support from
other activists, from Korea to Canada, from Mexico to the Middle-East,
and from everyone who witnessed our toy-toying,
singing, chanting procession and colourful placards.

With our distinctive black and green T-Shirts and banner proclaiming
that "Africa is Not for Sale, Africa no esta a la venta",
the African peoples organisations present in Cancun are sending a clear
message to the WTO and to all African governments
that we are here to demand that the needs and rights of our people are
not sold off by our governments.

We are deeply suspicious that in the exclusive Convention Centre from
which we are barred by twelve foot steel and concrete
barriers ten kilometers away - symbolic of the vast gulf in
understanding and experience between officials on 'the inside' and
the people on 'the outside' - the insider wheeling-and-dealing between
governments might produce yet another sell-out of
their countries and their peoples.

And we have reason to be suspicious. While we are demanding that there
be "No New Issues" to expand the powers of the
WTO; while we are determined to "Stop the GATS-Attack" on our public
services; while we are warning our governments
not to accept further Industrial Tariff Liberalisations that will
destroy more jobs at home; we are told in a meeting here with
South African Deputy Minister of Trade, Lindiwe Hendrikse, that the SA
negotiators are preparing to make "trade-offs",
although she "cannot as yet tell what these will be".

In contrast, African activists are urging all African governments to
stand firm on their own agreed positions, and on the issues
that African peoples organisations prioritise. Some African governments,
led by Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Zambia
and Zimbwabwe, are playing a leading role in developing country
alliances against the power of 'the majors', drawing
developing countries such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and
many others around them.

But activists from South Africa and the rest of the continent are
concerned about the role of South Africa within Africa and
more generally. From afar it appears that South Africa has at last taken
a stand after a recent phase of inaction reflecting their
loss of their own chosen strategic direction. The intransigence of the
majors in Geneva over the pat two years has blown
apart the compromise so-called 'development agenda' that South Africa
had helped to broker in Doha.

But out of the initiatives of the heavy-weight developing countries,
Brazil, India and China a new centre of gravity has
emerged for developing countries in the WTO. This is the Group of 21,
which has drawn in a range of other Latin American
and Asian countries, and South Africa has decided to 'find shelter'
amongst these.

The G-21 position is a direct challenge to the deal between the US and
the EU in defense of their respective policies
supporting their agricultural producers and exporters. As an
unprecedented counter-weight to the majors within the WTO this
grouping is receiving the solidarity of African countries.

But no African countries have joined this group because it essentially
reflects the interests of big agricultural exporters and
does not support the needs of small producers . There is not even a
mention of the Special and Differential Terms (SDTs) that
are key to the defense of the policy flexibilities of smaller and weaker
countries in the WTO, and that should be at the centre
of the Cancun agenda, as promised in the Doha declaration..

Most problematically, the G-21 has adopted the overall position that,
if there is "movement" (a rather ill-defined notion) on
agriculture by the majors, they will then consider negotiating their
other demands. This flies in the face of the position of the
African and other developing countries in Asia and Latin America
(numbering more than 70 in total) that the controversial
new issues must not be linked to any possible agriculture 'concessions'.
In fact, these new issues, above all towards the global
liberalisation of international investment and capital flows, must NOT
become negotiating subjects in the WTO.

African non-governmental organisations met with South African and
Senegalese Ministers, on 12th September, to convey
their views and present some probing questions to them. Unfortunately,
the meeting was turned into a formalistic 'briefing' by
the Ministers rather than the reverse that was expected. But there was
at least a sense that the Minister from Senegal was
listening to the views expressed and took clear positions in defense of
the 34 Least Developed Countries in Africa, for whom
she is the official spokesperson in the WTO.

There was a very different message from the South African delegation,
with their reference to the compromises they are
already preparing to make. And as the final disturbing touch, the
African NGOs - who are highly knowledgeable on the
details of each and every issue in each and every 'text' being
negotiated - were informed by the SA Minister for Arts and
Culture, who is a member of the South African "negotiating team" in
Cancun, that he "does not know anything about trade".

These are some of contrasts and contradictions in Cancun !!