Real World Radio

False step. Movements in Latin America on the European “offer” of Free Trade

Real World Radio — 2010-02-08T20:02:35Z

After the Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa announced it would resume the negotiations of a possible Association Agreement with the European Union, the regional blocs called joint actions to avoid individual ways out.

Rafael Correa's decision to resume the negotiations – which deadline is May, when the Summit of Heads of State and Government from the EU and Latin America is expected to take place in Madrid – disagreed with the decision of the governments of Venezuela and Bolivia to put an end to the talks by considering the terms of the Association Agreements as unilaterally in favor of consolidating the European transnational corporations in Latin America.

Correa justified the move, which was announced in a phone call with the Spanish Vicepresident Maria Teresa Fernandez, as a result of the EU's decision of lowering the tariff on the Ecuadorian banana.

He even said that the Association Agreements do not represent a “free trade agreement”.

If Ecuador resumes the talks, it would be unbalancing the relation of forces in favor of the Association Agreements in the Andean region: while Peru and Colombia accepted the European conditions without saying a word, Venezuela and Bolivia and until recently Ecuador, were against them.

Meanwhile, in the MERCOSUR countries, only the outgoing President of Uruguay Tabare Vazquez would seem to be willing to resume the talks with the European bloc, while Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay kept their position against it, despite the growing pressure of Spain.

Meanwhile, last week the Latin America and the Caribbean Economic System (SELA) called a meeting to facilitate a common regional position at the 6th Summit with the European Union in Madrid.

The meeting will take place in Caracas, the agency's headquarters, on February 25 and 26 with the participation of member states, representatives of the Association of Caribbean States and the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) and MERCOSUR.

Meanwhile, in Europe the background towards Madrid does not seem simple. The fall of several stock markets like Greece and Spain, with the subsequent loss of jobs are a headache for the EU, which is holding emergency meetings to soothe the crisis.

Meanwhile, the US President Barack Obama announced that he will not attend the Summit, upsetting the European officials.

In parallel to the official summit there will be a Peoples Summit of the social movements, where the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal will session to try European corporations for human rights abuses in Latin America.

The event is being organized by Linking Alternatives

(http://www.enlazandoalternativas.org).

Handbrake. EPA rules in favor of agrofuels, in contradiction with previous position

Real World Radio — 2010-02-05T02:27:17Z

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday its support to the production of agrofuels – such as ethanol from sugarcane and corn and cellulosic ethanol – and considered them the fuels that pollute the environment the least.

This decision was considered by environmentalist group Friends of the Earth US as a “huge gift to the biofuels industry”, which among other things, had requested the EPA to increase the percentage of ethanol allowed in gas.

The EPA also ruled that the use of biofuels should account for 8,25 per cent of the total sales of gas and diesel in US this year, which contradicts their previous position which demanded limitations to the use of ethanol due to its direct and indirect gas emissions which cause global warming.

The new plan mandates a massive increase in domestic biofuel consumption by 2022, which was strongly criticized by Friends of the Earth US.

Kate McMahon, climate and energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said that the production of biofuels is the cause of many serious environmental problems, such as the excessive use of water and the pollution of water due to the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and the use of lands for food production to produce fuel.

“Because of this, large-scale biofuel consumption is unlikely to be a viable long-term transportation fuel solution. Better approaches include the use of more efficient vehicles, smart zoning and transportation plans that reduce the need for driving, and the eventual use of clean electricity as a vehicle fuel”, Mc Mahon said.

"Global warming is another concern. The EPA's prediction that in 2022 most corn ethanol will result in less carbon pollution than regular gasoline is surprising and strikes us as highly optimistic, especially since the EPA acknowledged in its rule finalized today that corn ethanol production is driving the destruction of natural areas around the world, which in turn leads to biodiversity loss and immense carbon emissions.” she concluded.

Against Xingu Dam. Campaign launched to demand Lula to halt building of hydroelectric dam

Real World Radio — 2010-02-04T21:08:29Z

On Monday it was reported that the Brazilian Environment Ministry (Ibama) had authorized the building of hydroelectric dam Belo Monte, in Para State. The reaction of indigenous communities and social organizations who question the plans the government has for Xingu River didn´t take long.

The Federal Public Ministry supports these organizations, and announced that it will go to international courts if the Brazilian government does not withdraw the authorization.

Don Erwin Kräutler, president of the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), met with Ibama authorities to communicate their rejection to the announcement. Kräutler said to several media that the Belo Monte project will end up being an “irreparable disaster”.

Adital news agency reported that the granting of a license to build the hydroelectric dam was filled with irregularities, and that the public hearings with indigenous communities, which will be the most affected by the project, were not enough.

The plans to build dams on Xingu River started in the late 70s, and were halted after huge mobilizations in 1989. But the 21st century brought plans by the government to restart the project.

Xingu River runs through two thousand kilometers and more than half of its basin covers protected areas. It is estimated that approximately 14 thousand indigenous people live by Xingu River and would be displaced by the floods caused by the dam, according to the organizations.

One of these organizations, the Brazilian Environmental Justice Network, launched this week an international campaign to demand President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, Energy and Environment Ministers and Ibama authorities to put an end to the project.

To join the campaign in defense of the Xingu River go to: http://www.justicaambiental.org.br/...

Photo: Os Verdes

Xingu: por que não queremos Belo Monte

Military Occupation. Camille Chalmers, from Haiti, denounces the US military occupation disguised as humanitarian aid

Real World Radio — 2010-02-04T20:35:39Z

“We will not accept becoming a new US military base in the Caribbean”, said Camille Chalmers, outraged by the attitude of the governments, especially the US, which have come to the “rescue” of Haiti with troops and guns.

After three weeks of the earthquake, filled with coverage of the projects that the main economic powers of the world are planning for the country located in Hispaniola island, the member of PAPDA and the international coordination of Jubilee South talked to Real World Radio and denounced how this “rescue” can even worsen the situation of his country.

Far from cancelling the foreign debt contracted during the de facto regime of Duvalier, the International Monetary Fund approved a new loan worth more than 100 million dollars, subject to adjustment measures.

Also, the US army prevented planes with humanitarian aid to land on Port-au-Prince during two days due to the operation to receive Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Chalmers said that when the independence of Haiti was declared after the revolution, the IMF granted a loan which aimed to keep the country in the shadow of underdevelopment and dependence, reducing the nation to a sugar plantation which served to sweeten rich countries.

“A mechanism of debt was used to reintegrate Haiti to the world economy and to counteract a revolutionary project”, said the Haitian activist.

The current debt follows the same political, illegitimate and outrageous mechanisms, and this is why several international organizations have demanded the governments to cancel it.

“After the crisis caused by the earthquake, the International Monetary Fund imposed a new loan worth 104 million dollars, to be paid from 2012 on,” said Chalmers.

The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which started in Haiti eight years ago, has proven to be a failure, both before and after the earthquake.

At the time of the earthquake, MINUSTAH officials “were paralyzed” and were seen on the streets “after the fourth day”, said the member of Jubilee South.

Under a Brazilian military command, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador and Guatemala are participating with military officers in Minustah.

All the goals set to the mission by the United Nations Security Council have failed, said Chalmers. Today, it is very clear that this is a “mission of military occupation that is attacking the sovereignty of Haiti and is imposing specific economic policies” and that is a direct military threat to the countries of the region which “do not accept neoliberalism”.

Finally, the Haitian activist talked about the different attitude adopted by some Latin American countries after the earthquake.

“It is important to highlight that Haiti has been receiving the solidarity offered by countries member of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA). This is true cooperation, without conditions. After the earthquake, the first medical team to arrive was Cuban”, said Chalmers.

Photo: Larry Zou

Real Help. Social organizations and unions send missions to support Haiti

Real World Radio — 2010-02-03T18:49:04Z

After the earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12th, the emergency work which has not been carried out by the military occupying Haiti has automatically become the responsibility of social organizations, both national and international, who have given a new meaning to the concept of humanitarian aid.

They have also expressed political statements on the uncertain future of the Caribbean island. For instance, a few days ago, la Vía Campesina, Jubilee South and other organizations organized an international mission with a strong presence of social activists from Dominican Republic.

Among other things, the mission denounced that after the catastrophe, US military officers “took advantage of the situation” to position themselves in “strategic points”, which is an “attack to the sovereignty” of the poorest country in Latin America. Despite this, it is estimated that the support provided by the Dominican civil society has been 30 times more than that provided by the US.

The mission also stated that taking people to other provinces in Haiti is “increasing the poverty which already existed” and warned that this year the shortage of seeds will cause a “huge food crisis”. This is proof that the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti has not contributed to the improvement of the situation of the island and in fact its presence has only caused the country to take steps backward.

The rebuilding stage, according to the organizations, will end up confronting two opposing visions: that of the governments and many international institutions that are speculating and an alternative vision of the people to rebuild the country in a participatory way, without foreign debt.

The Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (CSA) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) also organized a mission and contacted Haitian unions. Leandra Perpétuo, Human Rights Adviser for the CSA said that the military occupation of the island is not contributing with its rebuilding process, but is “imposing fear” to the population. On the distribution of international aid, Perpétuo said that the situation is completely different to what international networks are showing.

“It is not true that people are crazy and attack those who are offering help. That didn´t happen. People stood in line, waiting their turn. It was all peaceful”, said Perpétuo, according to CSA website.

The road to Cochabamba. Pablo Solon's speech at the World Social Forum 2010

Real World Radio — 2010-02-02T22:26:57Z

The failure of the COP 15 on Climate Change, which took place in December in Copenhagen, led the Bolivian government to call a World Conference on Climate Change and Mother Earth Rights that will be held in April in Cochabamba.

One of the responsible for this activity is the Bolivian ambassador to the United Nations, Pablo Solon, who represented his country in the Copenhagen talks.

A few days ago, the network Climate Justice Now! organized a workshop in Porto Alegre, as part of the activities of the World Social Forum 2010.

We share a video of the Bolivian ambassador to the United Nations reflecting on the lack of progress in Denmark and criticizing the role played by the G77 plus China, of which Bolivia is a member.

The group actually comprises 136 countries.

Solon questions the role played by Brazil, China, India and South Africa within the bloc, which makes up the main opposition to the industrialized countries.

The climate debt owed by the developed countries, the future of the Kyoto Protocol and the Framework Convention on Climate Change are other issues addressed by Solon during his speech in Porto Alegre.

Paving the way. March in Peru against Mining project Tia Maria

Real World Radio — 2010-02-02T22:06:56Z

The residents of the Peruvian province of Islay, to the southeast of Arequipa Department will march to Lima on February 10 to express their opposition to the mining project Tia Maria, developed by Southern Peru Copper Corp.

The march aims to show the massive popular rejection to the public hearing the mining corporation is calling for next February 15, since the organizers of the event fear that, as it happened before, the company will not take into account the residents' opinion and will aim to carry out the hearing to legitimize its exploitation.

Proof of this is that the mining corporation aims to carry out the hearing at a place that only hosts 400 people and has no authorization for that, said Julio Gutierrez, of the National Radio Coordinator (CNR) of Peru. He leads the Front of Struggle of Cocachacra.

Gutierrez said the mining corporation wanted to justify its operations by producing an environmental impact study at the hearing that says their activity will not endanger the region's water supply. This has been seriously questioned by the residents and by several organizations that thought the use of underground water by the mining corporation would imply “the death of Valle del Tambo”.

In a consultation carried out in September of 2009, over 90% of the residents expressed their opposition to the development of the mining project, which was not taken into account by the corporation. For this reason, tired of being victims of the “arrogant” practices of the mining corporation, the neighbors are planning to mobilize to prevent the “mockery consultation”, as exposed by the organizers of the march.

Discipline and Punish. Repression in Honduras remains unpunished. Interview with Juan Almendares

Real World Radio — 2010-02-02T21:59:48Z

The repression against the organizations and peasant communities resisting the coup and who defend the right to their lands in Honduras has intensified after the inauguration of Porfirio Lobo to continue the de facto regime that ousted José Manuel Zelaya.

The Nation Plan that seeks to “pacify” Honduras after six months of dictatorship and with the forced exile of the legitimate President Manuel Zelaya conceals repression, torture and murder operations in rural and urban communities.

Juan Almendares from Madre Tierra – Friends of the Earth Honduras exposed this in an article that circulated around the world, and in an exclusive interview with Real World Radio.

The repression in the Honduran countryside is based on an alliance between military, police forces and private security corps that answer to agribusiness transnational corporations that were favored by the de facto regime and by Lobo, says Almendares.

The communication with Honduras is difficult for the international alternative media. The rural areas are virtually silenced.

During the interview the communication with Almendares was interrupted several times as a result of the intervention of the phone lines.

“El madrugón” is the operation through which the Honduran de facto forces raid houses and social organizations' offices under the pretext of “fighting crime”, says Almendares.

The alliance of the state and private police has taken over the main rivers and evicted peasant communities that lived in strategic areas for the advance of agribusiness.

Another level of the alliances on which the Honduran regime is based, are the links with Bogota and the “advice” of Alvaro Uribe's administration in the repression, according to Almendares.

Under Micheletti Colombian hitmen trained in the dirty war arrived in the country, and have operated ever since, he said.

Populated Cemeteries. Spanish government secretly negotiates final destination of nuclear waste

Real World Radio — 2010-02-01T22:53:19Z

Towns with small population are tempted to receive waste from Spanish nuclear power plants in exchange for public funds, while organizations seek to build citizen resistance.

The Spanish dependence on nuclear energy represents 18 per cent of the electric consumption, which generates tons of nuclear waste which disposal is a headache for the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

This shows how unsustainable this energy source is.

In fact, several municipalities governed by the ruling party (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) are against accepting the “offer” of becoming nuclear cemeteries despite Madrid's willingness.

The Spanish organization Ecologistas en Accion expressed its opposition to a Centralized Temporary Warehouse in Valladolid, known as nuclear cemetery and they have offered support to the neighbors from the affected communities.

Francisco Castejón, member of Ecologistas en Acción told Real World Radio that the substances the government wants to “temporarily” dispose of are hazardous for thousands of years and therefore they are avoiding having a social debate on this matter.

The Spanish government has had backdoor negotiations for almost two years to have the municipalities offer themselves as candidates to take the nuclear waste. The “retribution” includes creating temporary jobs and annual 6 million euro in compensations for the municipalities – some of them have around 200 residents.

Castejón also exposed that many mayors who offered their towns as candidates for the nuclear cemeteries, work in the nuclear industry themselves.

“From an aesthetic as well as from a legal point of view, this is quite sad,” he told Real World Radio.

Ecologistas en Acción believes that the call for applications to host the nuclear waste cemetery has been a failure and than only ten out of 8,000 municipalities in the Spanish state have applied.

He criticized the state-owned corporation that manages nuclear waste (ENRESA) for surveying the people to look for candidates when it saw that the term granted to submit applications was about to expire and there were hardly any.

The procedure to accept applications and to establish the place for waste disposal could take around 6 months, according to Castejón and “in that period we will try to ensure the citizen opposition to this kind of facilities”.

Emergency. Hit by heavy rains, Bolivia looks for solutions to climate change

Real World Radio — 2010-02-01T22:51:09Z

Bolivian President Evo Morales declared a National State of Emergency due to the heavy rains that hit the country killing 9 people and affecting nearly 25,000 families.

The persistence of rain, which the Bolivian weather services attribute to variations of the phenomenon known as “El Niño”, have caused serious floods, mainly in the east of the country.

The areas especially damaged have been the departments of La Paz, Cochabamba, Beni, Santa Cruz and Chuquisaca.

The rains and floods have caused the collapse of tens of houses, and ruined thousands of hectares of crops.

President Morales linked what happened in Bolivia with the phenomenon of global warming that changes the climate patterns due to the emission of greenhouse gases through a process led by developed countries.

For this reason the President asked the ambassadors and representatives of international agencies to study and discuss the consequences of this problem and said he was interested in the analysis and study of the consequences of climate change in Bolivia, Peru and also in Haiti.

Morales was reelected as the Bolivian President on December 6th. He is promoting a summit on climate change to be held in his Cochabamba in April.

The summit will try to address the issues left unresolved in the summits promoted by the United Nations, focusing on the solutions to climate change from a perspective of Peoples' and Mother Earth's rights.