Fwd.: Quebec 2001

[KXX4493553 at aol.com]

Just to inform you...
Best, kwp

In einer eMail vom 05.01.01 10:37:22 (MEZ) Mitteleuropäische Zeit schreibt 
aktuell at nadir.org:

> 
>  
>  >===== Original Message From portside at egroups.com =====
>  [David Cohen writes, "Here is some interesting
>  information on the planned demonstrations against the
>  FTAA, which are scheduled to take place in Quebec in
>  April." Abridged. -- Moderator]
>  
>  Quebec 2001: A new Seattle?
>  
>  WHAT'S HAPPENING NEXT APRIL 2001?: Next April 20-22,
>  2001, the Summit of the Americas meeting will be taking
>  place in Quebec City (the previous two Summits were held
>  in Miami (1994) and Santiago (1998)). The Summit brings
>  together all the 34 leaders of North, South and Central
>  America, as well as the Caribbean (except Cuba). The
>  Summit intends to talk about issues like hemispheric
>  integration and migration, security and terrorism,
>  democracy and human rights, as well as the proposed Free
>  Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) ÿ agreement. The
>  Summit of the Americas is in many ways a pre-packaged
>  media spectacle for the leaders of the hemisphere, in a
>  controlled atmosphere of gala dinners, cocktail parties
>  and photo ops. Thousands of delegates and media
>  representatives are to attend the gathering, as well as
>  thousands of police in what will be the largest security
>  and police operation in Canadian history.
>  
>  WHAT IS THE FTAA?: In simple terms, the FTAA is the
>  planned extension of the North American Free Trade
>  Agreement (NAFTA) to the entire hemisphere (except
>  Cuba). It's not just a geographic extension, but also an
>  extension of the reach of big business into vast areas
>  of public policy. The FTAA is to be fully WTO-
>  compatible, as well as include investment sections that
>  are identical to the Multilateral Agreement on
>  Investment (MAI). The FTAA was first launched at the
>  Miami Summit (1994) and nine negotiating groups have
>  been actively meeting and negotiating since the Santiago
>  Summit (1998). The proposed deadline to sign and
>  implement the FTAA is 2005. According to Canada's Trade
>  Minister, "The FTAA is inextricably linked to the Summit
>  of the Americas process." Together, the Summit and the
>  FTAA are two key ways to promote American imperialism
>  and Canadian paternalism in Latin America. The actual
>  negotiating of the FTAA occurs within the working groups
>  who have most recently been meeting in Miami. These
>  working groups in turn report to the trade ministers of
>  their respective countries. The trade ministers meet
>  once a year. This year's meeting is to take place in
>  Argentina in early April, a few weeks before the Quebec
>  City Summit.
>  
>  WHAT IS THE CLAC?: Partially in response to the upcoming
>  Summit of the Americas meeting, and partially to
>  reinforce existing local networks of resistance, the
>  Anti-Capitalist Convergence (la Convergence des luttes
>  anti-capitalistes, or CLAC) came together last April in
>  Montreal, one full year before the Summit. The CLAC
>  basis of unity (attached below) asserts clear opposition
>  to capitalism, imperialism, neo-liberalism and
>  patriarchy while asserting values of mutual aid,
>  solidarity and genuine democracy. It is autonomous,
>  decentralized and non-hierarchical, and rejects
>  bureaucratic, top-down models of organizing. Respecting
>  a diversity of tactics, the CLAC supports the use of a
>  variety of creative initiatives, ranging from popular
>  education to direct action. With regards to the Summit
>  of the Americas, and the FTAA, the CLAC adopts a
>  confrontational attitude, and rejects reformist
>  alternatives like lobbying which cannot have a major
>  impact on inherently anti-democratic processes. For more
>  info about CLAC's "Projects and Initiatives", please e-
>  mail clac at tao.ca.
>  
>  WHAT IS CASA?: The CLAC will be collaborating closely
>  with the recently formed Summit of the Americas
>  Welcoming Committee (le Comite d'Accueil du Sommet des
>  Ameriques, or CASA). CASA is a Quebec City-based group,
>  comprised of activists and organizers who are involved
>  in local grassroots struggles. ÿTheir basis of unity
>  includes anti-capitalism, anti-patriarchy, a refusal of
>  hierarchies, autonomy, non-reformism and a respect for a
>  diversity of tactics. CASA, like CLAC, meet in open,
>  decisional, general assemblies. CLAC will be
>  collaborating with CASA on logistics, awareness raising
>  and other actions. CASA can be reached at their
>  temporary e-mail address: ÿla_casa2001 at hotmail.com.
>  
>  APRIL 20th DAY OF ACTION: The CLAC and CASA will be
>  working together closely in raising awareness, as well
>  as helping to reinforce and build existing networks of
>  resistance to capitalist globalization. We are also
>  looking beyond April, focusing on continuing mobilizing
>  efforts after the Quebec Summit. As well, we want to
>  avoid the dynamic of "summit-hopping", and are
>  encouraging local actions as much as mobilizing
>  specifically for Quebec City. However, one major focal
>  point will clearly be the Summit itself, particularly a
>  Day of Action scheduled for Friday, April 20, when the
>  Summit of the Americas is due to commence in Quebec
>  City. The Day of Action will respect a diversity of
>  tactics, and aims to disrupt, to the maximum extent
>  possible, the holding of the Summit of the Americas
>  meeting. We are encouraging as many people as possible
>  to mobilize for direct action, in Quebec City and
>  elsewhere, on April 20, 2001.
>  
>  CARNIVAL AGAINST CAPITALISM: The CLAC is also organizing
>  a Carnival against Capitalism that is to include events
>  in Quebec City and Montreal over the month of April, and
>  which culminates with the Day of Action on April 20. The
>  Carnival will include conferences, teach-ins, concerts,
>  cabarets, workshops, street theatre, protests and direct
>  action. The exact event schedule will be announced in
>  the upcoming weeks and months.
>  
>  ..
>  
>  General Inquiries: clac at tao.ca Research Collective:
>  crac at tao.ca Housing: lolicom2001 at hotmail.com Food:
>  zobule at hotmail.com and mariec_81 at hotmail.com
>  Transportation: steph_est at yahoo.ca Agitprop:
>  pierreantoineh at yahoo.com Cultural/Artistic Committee:
>  mattlegrind at hotmail.com and zobule at hotmail.com Peoples'
>  Global Action: clac at tao.ca Legal: peter at tao.ca Medical:
>  clac at tao.ca External Liaison/Caravans: jaggi at tao.ca
>  Media: julieeve at hotmail.com Latin America
>  Contacts/Spanish: crassca at yahoo.ca Web Page:
>  safechier at yahoo.fr E-mail Lists: clac at tao.ca Consulta
>  (January 27-28): casa_clac_consulta at hotmail.com
>  
>  GETTING MORE INFORMATION: If you want to receive regular
>  e-mail updates from the CLAC, please send a message to
>  clac at tao.ca with "subscribe CLAC external updates" in
>  the main text. If you are from the Montreal-area, or you
>  would like to get the more frequent updates from the
>  various working groups of the CLAC (predominantly in
>  French, but often translated into English and Spanish),
>  send a message to clac at tao.ca with "subscribe CLAC
>  internal updates". If you want to be part of a moderated
>  e-mail list that shares information about the FTAA, send
>  an e-mail with a blank subject line to lists at tao.ca with
>  "subscribe ftaa-l" as the main text.
>  
>  BASIC CONTACT INFORMATION:
>  
>  e-mail: clac at tao.ca
>  web: ÿ ÿhttp://www.quebec2001.net
>  tel: ÿ ÿ+1 514 526-8946
>  post: ÿ la CLAC,
>   ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿc/o la Librairie Alternative
>   ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿ2035, boulevard St-Laurent, 2nd floor
>   ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿMontreal, Quebec, H2X 2T3 CANADA
>  
>