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Australian and US Greens Condemn Australia-US Free Trade Agreement. |
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Monday, December 1, 2003 Contacts: WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Green Party of the United States and Australian Greens issued a joint statement today condemning the Australia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. The text of the statement is appended below. "Greens everywhere in the world are committed to fair trade, through treaties which protect human and labor rights, local cultures, environments, and democratic self-government -- for everyone involved," said Tony Affigne, co-chair of the International Committee of the Green Party of the United States. "But like WTO, NAFTA, and FTAA," Affigne added, "the proposed Australia/U.S. Free Trade Agreement would sacrifice democratic sovereignty, public health, labor rights, natural environments, and cultural integrity, to feed corporate greed on both sides of the Pacific." MORE INFORMATION The Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org AUSTRALIAN GREENS and GREEN PARTY of the UNITED
STATES, JOINT STATEMENT on the USFTA Today, as the last round of negotiations between the U.S. and Australia commence for the USFTA, the Green Party of the United States joins the Australian Greens to send a strong message to the U.S. and Australian governments: Australians and Americans do not want the Australia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. We are part of a global network/coalition which includes groups in the U.S. and throughout the Americas. The Green Party of the United States is campaigning with grass roots organisations and Green parties throughout the Americas against the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The Australian Greens are linked with the global campaign and, in Australia, an ever-growing coalition of community groups, unions and churches, We are opposed to increased economic inequality between and within countries, concentrating wealth while privatizing services as essential as fresh water and healthcare. We will campaign against undermining access to affordable medicines in Australia and for the access to affordable medicines in the U.S.. We are opposed to trade negotiations which undermine democratic processes, lack transparency, give undue power to unaccountable corporations, and are binding on all future governments. We share a concern that policy options which allow governments to regulate in the interest of the community and the environment are not traded away. We will not support any agreement which reduces any country's ability to achieve social and environmental sustainability. WE are FOR:
and WE SAY
The people of the U.S. and Australia do not want a free trade agreement between our countries. Instead, we state our commitment to working with people between our countries for fair trade. Our aim is for a global trade system which puts the needs of poorer nations and poorer people within nations first. We want to protect farmers, not agribusiness. We want to foster local and indigenous media, not spread the reach of Hollywood and the media moguls. We want quality affordable health systems for all, not more profits to pharmaceutical countries. For these and other reasons the Australian Greens, and the Green Party of the United States, say no to the Australia-U.S. 'Free' trade agreement. search: gbl. ecpol, labpol, evpol, regpol |