Posted 20th September 2001

WTO Go'in Down Fast

Anti-WTO Meeting: Wednesday 26th September, 730pm at the Methodist Mission, Auckland. The WTO is attempting to launch a new round of trade negotiations in November in Qatar.Part of the new negotiating round will include negotiations on key agreements like the GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services), TRIPs (Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights) and the AoA (Agreement on Agriculture).

The WTO is the spearhead organisation for further run-down of public services and profiteering from the remains. The sort of policies which have lead us in double quick time to another manifestation of globalisation, simultaneous global crises of politics, society and economy. As of last week the tide turned on privateering globalisation and the WTO leadership. Huge companies are in retreat and even starting to agree to government buy-back of key companies (Singapore Airlines agrees to NZ Government acquisition of equity in AirNZ).

Last time the WTO tried to launch a new round in Seattle a mass movemnet of thousands of people took to the streets and the launch was a spectacular failure. Doha, Qatar has been picked as the place to attempt again the launching of the new round as it is expected that their will not be no anti-globalisation protests. In response to this an international day of action has been called for on Friday November 9th. Anti-globalisation protests and actions are being organised at the local level to voice peoples opposition to corprote globalisation. Already actions are being organised in Wellington and Christchurch. Its important for us in Auckland to meet up and start strategising and planning for what we would like to see happen in Auckland on November 9th.

A meeting is going to take place on:

Wednesday 26th September, 730pm at the Methodist Mission... ..