WTO releases the first draft on services
Saturday, 17 December , 2005, 12:37
Hong Kong: The WTO on Saturday released the first version of the draft text on services negotiations, scaling down expectations and reflecting little movement in the sector, on the penultimate day of the Ministerial in Hong Kong.
The first version of services draft meets the demands of G-90 group of developing countries and completely rules out the launch of plurilateral negotiations, which could have helped countries like India having offensive interest in the sector to secure greater market access.
The draft leaves the date for finalisation of agreement undecided. It has also left out any proposal for a possible framework agreement on government procurement of services, another key demand of G-90 countries. This provision was important for countries like India, who face a threat of legislation in the US on outsourcing.
But Klein also says water exports shouldn't be decided by the federal government because it's an environmental issue over which provinces have authority.
Global Wars for Water, Facts on World Hunger and Poverty
Belgium (HAN) December 17, 2005 -
In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, with a population of 12 million, cholera broke out in November 2003 as a result of E coli bacteria being transmitted by the drinking water-supply. Two transnational companies, Suez (France) and Bechtel (USA), have been responsible for the public water system in the huge metropolis since 1997. Bechtel had already hit the headlines in the year 2000 on account of another affair: after the giant company took over the public water system in Cochabamba/Bolivia and increased water-rates by an exorbitant amount, public protests and revolts broke out. Many people were left wounded and one person dead, after the government declared a state of martial law and protestors were fired on with live ammunition. Bechtel employees “fled” and the water privatisation deal had to be called off. Less well-known is the fact that a $25 million legal action, which Bechtel subsequently filed against Bolivia in a WTO secretive trade court operated by the World Bank, is still pending at this moment in time.
The largest water companies have their headquarters in Europe:
• Suez Lyonnaise; Véolia; Danone; SAUR in France
• RWE/ Thames Water/ American Water Works; Aqua Mundo; Berlinwasser; Gelsenwasser in Germany
• Biwater; Severn Trend and United Utilities in Great Britain and
• Nestle in Switzerland
• Add to this list the two US heavyweights: Bechtel and Coca Cola.
Alongside France and Great Britain, those pioneers of water privatisation, Germany plays a unique role in all of this because two government departments, the BMZ (Department of Agricultural Cooperation and Development) and the BMWA (Department of Finance and Employment) have meanwhile become two of the most aggressive architects of water privatisation not only at EU level but also at the WTO level: hundreds of millions of euros are being invested via “development aid funds” in order to make it easier for German companies to gain access to public water systems in the Third World as well as in EU countries. The BMZ offers companies a veritable “conjuring set” of assistance in the form of: loans, “insurance facilities”, Hermes sureties, offices in foreign countries which can be used as bases, German embassies acting as contact partners, profit guarantees and useful advice on how to gain the trust of decision-makers in foreign countries. Under the guise of providing “aid”, a “powerful German water industry” (Dr Uschi Eid, permanent secretary at the BMZ) is to be set up, which will be able to defy and even outstrip the two largest water companies in the world (Suez and Véolia, France). Well-known organisations such as the GTZ (German Association for Technical Cooperation), the KFW (Credit Institution for Reconstruction), the DEG (German Investments and Development Limited), the European Central Bank and others are all helpers faithful to the cause.
One of the most recent campaigns is the “Multi-Stakeholder Review”, a worldwide “study” intended to clarify whether or not and in which areas water privatisation “makes sense”. Large numbers of NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) are being dragged in and integrated into the process. The day-to -day running of this business lies with the “relief organisation” Water Aid (Great Britain) and is funded mainly by the German companies GTZ and RWE/Thames Water, the third largest water company in the world. The slogan “Water is a human right” is being linked in this campaign to the “Millenium Target 2015” which is to halve the number of people in the world who have no access to drinking water by the year 2015 (United Nations Conference on the Environment 2000). The World Bank, the BMZ and the companies involved have named the sum necessary in order to achieve this goal: 180 billion US dollars per annum. Since governments are not (any longer) able to raise this money, people will now have to rely on the readiness of companies to invest.
This financial “assistance” would, however, have consequences: with regard to the public water systems, the right of disposal would pass into the hands of the companies, who would then proceed to make millions of dollars in profit by exploiting the predicament of those dependent on the water for their survival.
I added the blogger word verification to cut down spam. Robert at My Blahg found it difficult, gee Robert its only a bunch of letters now if you ate more carrots you could probably read them easier, and I turned it off and then I got spam comments on how to invest in the Grand Caymans.....so back on it went. Now I am getting too many Anon-My-Ass kinda postings, and while I appreciate most of them even if we disagree...well its kinda useless to discuss anything with someone who doesn't have the courtesy to have a name. I don't care if its a psuedonym but Anon don't cut ya gotta register here now to leave a comment. That goes for you too WK, enough with the Anon posts. There now back to our regular programing.
