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Pittsburg, PA 15264-3700
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La Oroya population suffers another set-back
The Campaign for Children’s Health in La Oroya has been
a major focus of our Network’s efforts. Last week, after
nearly 18 months of work to get Peru’s Congress to approve
a bill declaring a health emergency in La Oroya (thus requiring
urgent action by the government), the bill was tabled by the two
Congressional commissions reviewing it. We are already planning
next steps.
Call for prayer and letters on FTAA and bilateral
free yrade treaties
In the face of growing opposition in North and South America
to the Free Trade Area of the Americas treaty (FTAA), the U.S.
government has opted to move quickly to secure bilateral trade
agreements (FTAs) with several of the smaller, economically weaker
nations/regions of the continent: Central America, the Andean
region, and Peru. Our Network has begun a letter-writing campaign,
directed at the Peruvian congress and the country’s newspapers
and radio stations to communicate our specific concerns about
the Andean FTA.
Subsidies
The farmers of Peru are mostly poor, mostly unmechanized, and
till small plots of land in a system which is somewhat efficient
for local and regional needs. It cannot, in any way, compete with
the massive, mechanized, highly subsidized agro-business in the
States. The impact of tariff liberalization under NAFTA on Mexican
corn farmers, to name just one example, was to cut in half their
family income within four years of NAFTA’s implementation.
This would be disastrous on Peruvian farmers of corn, cotton,
rice, asparagus, wheat, and many other crops. Many of these farmers
live and work in Peru’s poorest regions—and many were
deeply affected by the political violence of the 1980 and 1990s.
FTAA and TLC, we believe, will increase the poverty of the very
people we are committed to accompany.
Investment dispute clause
The “long-standing investment disputes” clause would
force the Peruvian government to settle in terms acceptable to
the U.S. government (rather than on the merits of the case under
Peruvian law) disputes between U.S. companies and the Peruvian
government. This potentially could give unprecedented power to
U.S. businesses (such as the Doe Run Company): as Peru increases
the level of its air quality standards (which are quite antiquated),
for example, Doe Run could sue the Peruvian government for the
loss of potential profits. This has happened to Mexico under NAFTA
and frightens all of us working to protect communities adversely
affected by mining contamination.
Intellectual property rights
The issue of “intellectual property rights” is an
important one that does need attention. We agree it’s not
fair that a U.S. author or musician or pharmaceutical company
not receive payment from a Peruvian company that sells a product
based on his/her artistic or scientific idea, often developed
at great cost of time and effort. (Note: there is an important
ethical issue we would raise about pharmaceutical companies’
moral obligation to help provide some medicines at reduced cost
to seriously ill and dying people). Our concern is in the application
of this provision: each year, U.S. and European companies remove
hundreds of indigenous species from Peru’s Amazon and Andean
regions, and “borrow” indigenous knowledge about the
medicinal properties of these species without making any payment
to the peoples who have developed this knowledge base and preserved
the species over the centuries. Our Network is calling for a more
even-handed approach: Peruvian indigenous technologies deserve
to receive the same protection as North American ones.
Transparency
The talks and resulting documents have been developed in remarkable
secrecy, and there is no mechanism for bringing the information
and debate to the people who will be most impacted. We believe
that it is essential to open up the process and allow for public
hearings on this critically important proposed change.
Perhaps a helpful theme in your letters that we hope many of
you will write is this: “Fair and equitable trade relations
between U.S. and Latin America are in everybody’s best interest.”
We don’t live in a bubble: many of the Mexican corn farmers
who went bankrupt in the wake of NAFTA are now undocumented immigrants
in U.S. cities. The fruits of the increasing gap between rich
and poor in the hemisphere are increasing social unrest, violence,
and terrorism.
Our Network is convinced that poverty is the primary cause of
terrorism. We believe that FTAA and the Andean Free Trade Agreement
will only increase the gap between rich and poor and result in
increased economic and political stability.
We would encourage all of our friends in Giddings-Lovejoy to
write a brief letter in the next 10 days to Robert Zoellick, the
U.S. Trade Representative, and to encourage their circles of friends
and churches to do so as well. You can reach him at:
Ambassador Robert Zoellick
United States Trade Representative
600 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20508
(or email: contactustr@ustr.gov)
The theme of our prayers is similar: to ask God that we be given
the courage to submit our economic life to Christ’s lordship,
that our nation’s economic relationships would be characterized
by the justice which is the hallmark of God’s reign, and
that the poor could enjoy more of God’s justice.
Suggested reading on “free” trade
The PC(USA) “Just Trade” webpage: www.pcusa.org/trade/ftaa.htm
The Oxfam-America Web page: www.oxfamamerica.org
A World Bank study which found that FTAA would increase poverty
in the hemisphere: (www.commondreams.org/views03/1112-03.htm)
Joining Hands Network of PERU
Avda. Arnaldo Márquez 845
Lima 11 PERU
Tel. (51-1) 330-3576
e-mail: alejandro@manosperu.org
Network website: www.manosperu.org
Network Fair Trade website:
http://comerciojusto.webcindario.com
Caminante, no hay camino; el camino se hace al andar
(Traveller, there is no path; paths are made by walking)
Traditional Spanish proverb
Has escudriñado mi andar y mi reposo, y todos mis
caminos te son conocidos.
You have examined my going out and my lying down; all my paths
are known to you.
Psalm 139:3
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