October
26, 2001
Dear
Media Professionals,
U.S.
Trade Representative Robert Zoellick has argued before Congress and within the
media that further trade liberalization is a critical part of the “War on
Terrorism.” The US government has made the next World Trade Organization
meeting – to be held November 9-13 in Qatar – the centerpiece of this effort.
Yet, most of the critical points of contention that caused the last WTO
Ministerial in Seattle to end in failure, continue to threaten the success of
the upcoming WTO meeting in Qatar.
The
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is one of the nation’s leading think
tanks on globalization and the WTO. We will be attending the Qatar meeting as
an accredited non-governmental organization by the WTO. The enclosed packet of
information outlines some of IATP’s concerns with WTO trade rules that will
likely be part of the agenda in Qatar.
The
enclosed packet includes the following:
1.
Living
Up to to the "Never a Round Again" Promise – by IATP President Mark
Ritchie;
3.
UN
Resolutions Warn WTO to Consider Human Rights in Services and Patent Treaties;
4.
Dumping
as a Structural Feature of US Agriculture: Can WTO Rules Solve the Problem?;
5.
Food Security and the WTO – September 2001 report by IATP’s Sophia Murphy;
6.
Open
Letter on Institutional Reforms At the WTO (PDF file);
7.
Experts
from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.
I
hope the enclosed packet is useful. IATP’s website – WWW.WTOWatch.org – has constantly updated
information on the WTO, including a special press center. Our e-magazine, Qatar Update,
will cover the latest news on the Ministerial. We will be doing extensive
interviews of participants in Qatar and will post that information on our site.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like any additional information
regarding the upcoming WTO meeting in Doha, Qatar.
Regards,
Ben
Lilliston
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
612-870-3416
blilliston@iatp.org