[DEBATE] : Fwd: HALT EU-INDIA FTA TALKS: URGENT REQUEST FOR SIGN ON

Thu Sep 25 04:47:33 BST 2008

For information

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "b kuruvilla" <bennyk at focusweb.org>
> Date:  September 24 2008 10:53:19 AM GMT+05:30
> To: "Afsar Jafri 1" <a.jafri at focusweb.org>, "Ajayan R"  
> <neerajam2004 at yahoo.com>, "Ajit Abhyanker"  
> <abhyankar2004 at hotmail.com>, "Amarjeet Kaur"  
> <ajkaur2004 at yahoo.co.in>, "Amit Sengupta" <ctddsf at vsnl.com>, "anil  
> chaudhary" <anilpeace at gmail.com>, "Anthony Bamang"  
> <bamang_anthony at rediffmail.com>, "APVVU" <apvvu98 at sancharnet.in>,  
> "Arunachal Citizens Rights" <acr2000 at gmail.com>, "Ashish Kothari"  
> <ashishkothari at vsnl.com>, "Bhaskar Goswami"  
> <bhaskargoswami at hotmail.com>, "C R Neelakantan"  
> <crneelan at yahoo.co.in>, "CASA" <casa at md4.vsnl.net.in>, "Cehat"  
> <cehat at vsnl.com>, "Chennaiah" <chennaiah_p at hotmail.com>, "Chukki  
> Nanjundaswamy" <chukki_krrs at yahoo.co.in>, "Debayani Kar"  
> <debi.kar at gmail.com>, "Ekta Parishad" <ektaparishad at yahoo.com>,  
> "Gautam Bandhopadhay" <gautamraipur at rediffmail.com>, "Geo Jose  
> NAPM" <geojosh at sify.com>, "Guru Budhya" <budhyag at hotmail.com>,  
> "Harekrishna Debnath 2" <harekrishna.debnath at gmail.com>, "Jai Sen"  
> <jai.sen at cacim.net>, "KSMTF" <ksmtf at keralafishworkers.org>,  
> "Fr.Mathew Vadakkemuriyil" <infarm at rediffmail.com>
> Cc: "MCITRA" <mcitra at sify.com>, "N A P M Mumbai" <napm at riseup.net>,  
> "ND Kohli" <flametech at vsnl.net>, "NFFPFW INDIA"  
> <nffpfwindia at gmail.com>, "Ossie Fernandes" <hrf at md3.vsnl.net.in>,  
> "Ramananda Wangkheirakpam" <wramd at yahoo.com>, "Meena Menon 2"  
> <meenamen at gmail.com>, "Focus India Staff" <fipstaff at lists.riseup.net>
> Subject: HALT EU-INDIA FTA TALKS: URGENT REQUEST FOR SIGN ON
>
>
>
> Dear  Friends
>
>
>
> The Government of India is negotiating a far reaching Free Trade  
> Agreement (FTA) with the European Union. Since June 2007, when the  
> talks began, the GoI has kept the Indian Parliament, state  
> legislatures and key constituencies such as trade unions and  
> agriculture groups in the dark.
>
>
>
> This letter is to bring to your urgent attention the statement  
> “IMMEDIATELY HALT EU-INDIA FTA NEGOTIATIONS” issued during a  
> strategy meeting, on the EU India FTA, organised by trade unions,  
> people’s movements and civil society organisations on 21st  
> September at New Delhi.
>
>
>
> This statement is pasted below and attached with this letter.
>
>
>
> In the meeting trade unionists and participants expressed deep  
> concern over the secrecy maintained by the government given the  
> potential devastating impacts of this FTA on labour and livelihood  
> rights of people in India. Participants unanimously agreed that a  
> call be issued to “IMMEDIATELY HALT EU-INDIA FTA NEGOTIATIONS”  
> on the occasion of upcoming EU-India summit scheduled to be held in  
> Paris from September 29-30. This statement will be submitted to  
> Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath and the  
> EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and the media.
>
>
>
> If you are in agreement with the contents of the letter, please  
> write to manicandan at cec-india.org  with your name and  
> organisational affiliation.  Please consider that this is a time  
> sensitive request and we need your endorsements by September 26 at  
> the latest. We also request you to send it to your networks
>
>
>
> In Solidarity,
>
>
>
> R.A. Mital (hms1gs at gmail.com) Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS)
>
>
>
> Ashim Roy, (ntui at vsnl.net ) New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI)
>
>
>
> Hare Krishna Debnath, (nffcal at cal3.vsnl.net.in)National Forum for  
> Fish workers (NFF)
>
>
>
> Ashok Choudhry (nffpfwindia at gmail.com), National Forum for Forest  
> People and Forest workers (NFFPFW)
>
>
>
> J.John (jjohn at cec-india.org), Centre for Education and  
> Communication (CEC)
>
>
>
> Smitu Kothari (smitukothari at vsnl.net), Intercultural Resources
>
>
>
> Benny Kuruvilla ( bennyk at focusweb.org ) Focus on the Global South
>
>
>
> Dharmendra Kumar (dkfordignity at yahoo.co.uk), India FDI watch
>
>
>
> For further information please contact Benny Kuruvilla  
> ( bennyk at focusweb.org,  ) Focus on the Global South, Dharmendra  
> Kumar (dkfordignity at yahoo.co.uk), India FDI watch or G.Manicandan  
> (manicandan at cec-india.org), (CEC).
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
> IMMEDIATELY HALT EU-INDIA FTA NEGOTIATIONS
>
> Statement of Concern from India
>
> New Delhi, 21 September 2008
>
>
>
>
>
> We, belonging to trade unions, people’s movements and civil  
> society organisations express our opposition to the lack of  
> transparency, public debate and democratic process of the ongoing  
> negotiations of the European Union – India Free Trade Agreement  
> (EU-India FTA).  We are deeply concerned that a free trade  
> framework will have adverse socio-economic and environmental  
> impacts.  As delegations gather for the EU-India Summit in Paris on  
> September 29-30, 2008, we call for a halt of EU-India FTA  
> negotiations.
>
>
>
> Since the launch of the EU’s corporate driven Global Europe  
> strategy and the subsequent commencement of the negotiations in  
> June 2007, five rounds of formal talks have occurred without any  
> public access to the Indian government position, commissioned  
> studies and negotiating texts.  Even the Indian Parliament, state  
> governments and legislatures have been kept in the dark.
>
>
>
> The Indian Commerce Ministry’s consultations have been limited to  
> large corporate and commercial interests within India and have  
> completely side-stepped those who are likely to be adversely  
> affected by a legally binding treaty.
>
>
>
> WE DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE HALT OF EU-INDIA FTA NEGOTIATIONS UNTIL:
>
>
>
> All existing negotiating positions, draft proposals and government  
> commissioned studies are made public
> All current proposals are debated and discussed in parliament and  
> public fora
> The federal process of consultation with the state governments is  
> completed and a consensus is reached
> Consultations are conducted with key constituents such as trade  
> unions, farmers, women, dalit, adivasi and other peoples  
> organizations, small and medium enterprises, cooperatives and hawkers
> A white paper is released and discussed in parliament on the socio- 
> economic and ecological impacts of all aspects of the EU-India FTA,  
> especially addressing social inequality and discrimination
>
>
> Endorsed by:
>
>
>
> 1
>
> R.A Mital
>
> Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS)
>
> 2
>
> Ashim Roy
>
> New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI)
>
> 3
>
> R K Sharma
>
> All India United Trade Union Congress (AIUTUC)
>
> 4
>
> Hare Krishna Debnath
>
> National forum for Fish workers
>
> 5
>
> Ashok Choudhry
>
> National Forum for Forest People and Forest workers (NFFPFW)
>
> 6
>
> J John
>
> Centre for Education and Communication (CEC)
>
> 7
>
> Smitu Kothari
>
> Intercultural Resources (ICR)
>
> 8
>
> Benny Kuruvilla
>
> Focus on the Global South
>
> 9
>
> Umi Daniel
>
> Action Aid
>
> 10
>
> Dharmendra Kumar
>
> India FDI Watch
>
> 11
>
> Shaktiman Ghosh
>
> National Hawkers Federation
>
> 12
>
> Bhaskar Goswami
>
> Forum for Biotechnology and food Security
>
> 13
>
> Willy vda costa
>
> INSAF
>
> 15
>
> Vidya Rangan
>
> Equations
>
> 16
>
> K M Gopa Kumar
>
> TWN
>
> 17
>
> Tanveer
>
> National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR)
>
> 18
>
> A Aloysius
>
> SAVE
>
> 19
>
> Vijay Prakash Jain
>
> Bharatiya Udhyog Vyapar Mandal
>
> 20
>
> Jaison T Thomas
>
> Dan Church Aid
>
> 21
>
> Shalini Yog
>
> Heinrich Bol Foundation
>
>
>
> ************************
> Manicandan
> Programme Officer
> Trade and Labour Rights
> Centre for Education and Communication (CEC)
> 173-A Khirki Village, Malviya Nagar,
> New Delhi - 110017
> Phone: 91 11 29541841 / 29541858 / 29542473
> Cell Phone: 09868319261, Fax: 91 11 29545442 / 29542464
> Website: www.cec-india.org
> **************************
>

______________________________

Jai Sen
jai.sen at cacim.net
CACIM, A-3 Defence Colony, New Delhi 110 024, India
www.cacim.net
Ph : +91-11-4155 1521, 4155 0963 - PLEASE NOTE NEW SECOND NUMBER !

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