Sept 24, 2001
- FTAA-Intl: an intimate & unmoderated list to discuss strategies and campaigns around the FTAA -
Short summary below from Magda Lanuza of Oil Watch Mesoamerica in Nicaragua
(quick and dirty translation - apologies for any awkward language).
On Monday Sept. 24th , 34 Economic Vice-Ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean arrived in Managua, Nicaragua for the 9th FTAA meeting. It was the first meeting after the Buenos Aires Ministerial. In the afternoon, the Nicaraguan government organized a "civil society consultation," which lasted less than an hour and was clearly simply an act of pure protocol. The meeting was three days of intense negotiation work (Tuesday 25, Weds. 26 and Thursday the 27th), all behind closed doors with no access given to the media and no contact with civil society. The U.S representative, Regina Vargo, stated that the U.S. government is more committed than ever to supporting the FTAA, given the attacks of Sept. 11th.
The Mesa Alternative Nicaraguense Frente al ALCA (the Nicaragua anti-FTAA coalition group) had announced the planned counter activities the week before in local press as well as working to raise public awareness of what the FTAA is about. On Monday the 24th, in a forum in one of the principal hotels in the capital, unionists, consumers, environmentalists, farmers, students and other NGO representatives discussed the impact of free market policies. A statement was developed, which was read during the "civil society consultation" in which four delegates of the civil society sector were finally allowed to enter the meeting. Meanwhile, outside of the Princess Hotel, there was a rally of people, surrounded by the police, chanting "NO FTAA." The only official that came outside to hear our demands was the Chilean delegate - the rest acted as if they didn't even know the protests were going on.
With the participation of the Union International Network and ORIT CIOLSL, almost 200 people marched to the Hotel Princess, but the police did not allow the protesters to get near the building. The protesters stayed in the street, handing out information to pedestrians and those who stopped in their cars to ask what the FTAA was. It is worth noting that despite the fact that the Nicaraguan media (both print and television)was present and interviewed various activists, they did not publish anything aside from the official Nicaraguan government's version of the events. Reuters International published a piece saying that the protesters were affiliated with the Sandanista party.
For more information, please contact Timi Gerson at Public Citizen: