Emne: Henvendelse om handelsavtale med Indonesia -----Opprinnelig melding----- Fra: Ekløv Eli Sendt: 24. april 2008 08:21 Til: Postmottak NHD Emne: VS: Letter to Norwegian Government 1. journalføring 2. avd. 3. kopi pol.ledx3/dep.råd/hes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fra: Postmottak NHD Sendt: 24. april 2008 08:04 Til: Ekløv Eli Emne: Letter to Norwegian Government -----Opprinnelig melding----- Fra: La Via Campesina [mailto:viacampesina@viacampesina.org] Sendt: 23. april 2008 12:33 Til: Postmottak NHD; postmottak@smk.dep.no; postmottak@md.dep.no Kopi: Norum Margrethe Reinertsen; Dannevig Tanja Emne: Letter to Norwegian Government La Via Campesina International peasant movement Movimiento campesino internacional Mouvement paysan international secretaria operativa/operative secretariat: Jln. Mampang Prapatan XIV no 5 Jakarta Selatan, Jakarta 12790 Indonesia Tel/fax: +62-21-7991890/+62-21-7993426 Email: viacampesina@viacampesina.org From: Henry Saragih, International Co-ordinator La Via Campesina To: M. Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway To Mister Dag Terje Andersen, Minister of Trade and Industry To Mr. Erik Solheim, Minister of Environment and International Development Copy to: Margrethe R. Norum, Tanja Dannevig, Jakarta, 23 April 2008 Dear Mister Jens Stoltenberg, Mister Dag Terje Andersen, Mister Erik Solheim, Our movement, La Via Campesina, gathers millions of small farmers and landless workers in more than 60 countries all around the world. In Norway, our member is NBS, NORSK BONDE- OG SMÅBRUKARLAG. Having members both in the North and in the South, we feel very concerned by the type of bilateral agreements (FTA or BIT) that have been promoted so much in the last decades by the developed countries. Of course, we know that investment agreements are based on the assumptions that free trade and the removal of regulations on investment will lead to economic growth, the reduction of poverty, increased living standards, and employment opportunities for Developing Country. However, since many investment agreements have been signed since the 1990'ies, we also know from our member daily life and experiment, that BITs can have serious and dangerous consequences for developing countries. Most developed countries have used these treaties to extort from their partners what they couldn't achieve through the WTO. For example, many investment agreements oblige developing countries to cut tariffs more steeply and open up their service sectors. The effects can be devastating, as the case of Mexican agriculture demonstrates. We are strongly opposed to the WTO bargaining and we also firmly resist to new deals on investment, government procurement and competition law, which puts capital-poor economies at greater risk by ceding sovereignty to foreign investors. As farmers, we are extremely concerned by the fact that investment agreements signal investors that property rights will be respected above all. This means for global corporations an unprecedented facilitation of their access and control on natural resources. La Via Campesina, as international movement, has been struggling for years for food sovereignty and will continue to struggle for this right as we are convinced that it's the only way to contribute to eradicating hunger and poverty. Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to define their own food and agriculture systems. It prioritises local and national economies and markets and ensures that the rights to use and manage lands, territories, waters, seeds, livestock and biodiversity are in the hands of those of us who produce food. In our understanding and daily experience, investment agreements promotes just the opposite of Food Sovereignty and block any possibility of autonomous industrial development for the Developing Countries. Hence, they are a big threat for biodiversity, local economy, natural resources (seeds, water, land etc.) We learnt in the past, how with investment agreements, Developing Countries were obliged to accept restrictions on their sovereignty (see the case of Argentina in 2005). For instance, Governments must agree to give up the use of a broad range of policy instruments, such as taxation, regulation, currency, and capital restrictions, which they need to achieve domestic, political, social, and economic ends. This is why, we're against the proposal of the Norwegian government for a bilateral investment agreement, that, we believe, will reduce the policy space for Developing Countries. As in those countries, the main part of the population are farmers, you will easily understand why this subject is of real importance for us. In the current international context of the food crisis, we firmly believe that stabilization measures have to be undertaken, that the influence of transnational corporations and financial speculative interests have to be controlled, and that any agreement that has negative implications for domestic food production should be withdrawn. That's why, Mister Jens Stoltenberg, Mister Dag Terje Andersen, and Mister Erik Solheim, we kindly ask you to withdraw the proposal for a bilateral investment agreement established by your government. Of course, we stay at your disposal for any additional information, in case you have any further questions, Yours sincerely, Henry Saragih International Co-ordinator of La Via Campesina -- International Operational Secretariat ----------------------------------------------------------------------- La Via Campesina - International Secretariat: Jln. Mampang Prapatan XIV No. 5 Jakarta Selatan, Jakarta 12790 Indonesia Phone : +62-21-7991890, Fax : +62-21-7993426 E-mail: viacampesina@viacampesina.org, Website: http://www.viacampesina.org +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subscribe to Via Campesina News Updates! (Go to www.viacampesina.org and subscribe on line) ¡Suscribe a la lista de información de La Vía Campesina! (Suscribe en línea en http://viacampesina.org/main_sp/) Inscrivez-vous à la liste d'information de Via Campesina! 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