Miami Herald | By Nancy San Martin | Nov. 17, 2003
Of all the mega events South Florida has hosted -- from the World Series to the Super Bowl to a variety of prominent conventions -- this week's Free Trade Area of the Americas meeting in downtown Miami is the most important, an organizer of the event said today.
''This is a very important week for Miami,'' Ambassador Charles Cobb, chairman of the Florida FTAA, said at the opening of the Americas Trade and Sustainable Development Forum, a gathering of representatives of nongovernmental organizations and academia from throughout the Western Hemisphere. ``This is the most important event that we have ever had in this city.''
The forum, which will discuss the social ramifications of the proposed free-trade area, is one of two that began today in Miami. A parallel event, the Americas Business Forum, is bringing together several hundred business people. Both forums will present their recommendations Wednesday to the 34 ministers gathering for the FTAA talks Thursday and Friday.
Warning that Western Hemisphere nations must unite in order to adequately compete with a trade alignment already taking shape in Asia, Cobb urged participants to engage in meaningful debate.
''We have elevated this forum . . . because we want to dramatize that Miami is an open city'' that welcomes dissent and diversity, Cobb said.
The FTAA, which would reduce trade barriers between participating countries, is scheduled take effect in January 2005.
''We're convinced that we need to lower barriers between the countries of the Americas,'' Cobb said. ``We believe that globalization is here to stay. If we want to be competitive, if we want to improve the quality of life, we have to be more efficient.''Miami Herald:
