Morales against Free Trade Agreement with US

Morales: I will never sign the Free Trade Agreement with US

Also attached below Ministry of Water statement at World Water Forum

La Paz, Mar 16 (Prensa Latina)

The categorical "No" of Bolivian President Evo Morales to the signing of a free trade agreement with the US was Thursday praised by a parliamentary majority and criticized by business sectors and conservatives.

Members of the MAS (Movement towards Socialism) party applauded the stance of the president, who said Wednesday that such an agreement would only be good to invade the country with subsidized products, to the detriment of local producers and manufacturers.

Morales indicated he will never negotiate an agreement of that kind, but rather a trade agreement for the peoples (TCP), allowing to open markets to products by small enterprises, cooperatives and poor people.

MAS deputy chief Gaston Cornejo added it is not possible to speak of free, fair trade with the US when that country is pushing regional ones to sign a free trade agreement, aimed at "devouring them."

Such a deal would mean giving away national sovereignty to the globalized market and losing the country's freedom of action, Cornejo stressed.

In the meantime, Morales' stance has been criticized by business sectors, particularly exporters, and political conservatives and neoliberal economists as well.

Bolivian Government lays out a new alternative vision on water

In a speech organized by the Municipal Government of Mexico D.F., Abel Mamani, the new Minister of Water for Bolivia laid out today a new vision for water by the new Evo Morales led Government.

As the World Water Forum in Mexico opened, the statement reaffirmed the Bolivian Government's commitment to ending the privatization of water and ensuring that water is treated as a public good. The indigenous minister also called for the World Water Forum to be profoundly changed to allow majority and decisive participation in the international negotiations by the poorest and those who most need water.

The speech which was held at 3pm on 16 March in the Palacio de Mineria stressed five points:

1. Water is a fundamental human right and a pre-requisite to the realization of other human rights
2. Water belongs to the earth and all living beings including human beings and it is the duty of everyone to protect access to water for all forms of life and for the earth itself
3. Water is a public good and therefore its management needs to be in a sphere that is public, social, community-based, participative and not based on profit.
4. Water should not be privatized and should be withdrawn from all free trade and investment agreements
5. There should be profound change in the organization of the World Water Forum to allow majority and decisive participation in the negotiations by the poorest and those who most need water.

Evo Morales Government created the new Ministry of Water in response to struggles by social movements within Bolivia against two privatized water utilities in Cochabamba and El Alto. Abel Mamani before becoming Minister of Water was leader of the El Alto's residents association that led protests which forced then President Mesa to start negotiations to end contract with privatized water utility, Aguas del Illimani, subsidiary of French multinational Suez.

In his inauguration speech, President Morales said: 'Water cannot be treated as a commercial transaction because from the moment that it is privatized, human rights are violated. Water services must be public services.'

Minister Abel Mamani said: 'With a resource that is essential for life, it is unacceptable to talk about profit. In Bolivia, we were promised that privatization would resolve problems of water access but it has failed and caused great harm. We hope our public, participative, social and ecological vision will be shared by all those who want clean drinking water to be delivered to all.'

For more information and interviews: Nick Buxton (045532700890, English) Pablo Sol (0445532700892, Spanish or English)

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