Aquino urged: Negotiate for peace without preconditions,
not for Trans-Pacific Partnership entry
not for Trans-Pacific Partnership entry
Sun, October 31, 2010
A group of New Zealanders is calling on the Philippine president to push for resumption of peace talks without preconditions instead of pushing for another unfair trade deal with the US.
Speaking at the 26th October kick-off public meeting of a national speaking tour to promote international support for peace process in the Philippines, Murray Horton, Secretary of Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA) highlighted the challenge for the Aquino administration to “make principled peace negotiations a priority instead of negotiations for another unfair trade deal with the US.”
PSNA is hosting MR. LUIS JALANDONI and MS CONI LEDESMA, representatives of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Peace Negotiating Panel on their speaking tour “Justice and Liberation: The Road to Peace in the Philippines” between 24 October – 12 November around NZ.
"We are aware that Pres. Benigno Simeon Aquino III courted the support of the United States for Philippines' bid to become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) during his recent meeting with US Pres. Barack Obama. Just like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade – World Trade Organisation (GATT-WTO) and other US-designed trade deals, TPP spells more profits for big business and nothing but losses for ordinary people in the Philippines, New Zealand and other countries.
If Aquino is serious about making lives better for ordinary Filipinos, negotiating for TPP and other unfair economic deals with the US should be junked altogether. It would be better for Filipinos if formal peace negotiations on the agenda of urgent social and economic reforms will be pushed by the Aquino administration instead of Philippines' entry to the TPP," Horton stated.
Horton, who is also the Spokesperson of 'New Zealand Not for Sale' campaign, concluded, "Filipinos and New Zealanders have had enough of unrestrained trade liberalisation that destroyed local agriculture and industries. Thus the TPP issue is a common ground for us to oppose what is essentially a back door way of achieving another free trade agreement that will mainly benefit the US.
Speaking at the 26th October kick-off public meeting of a national speaking tour to promote international support for peace process in the Philippines, Murray Horton, Secretary of Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA) highlighted the challenge for the Aquino administration to “make principled peace negotiations a priority instead of negotiations for another unfair trade deal with the US.”
PSNA is hosting MR. LUIS JALANDONI and MS CONI LEDESMA, representatives of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Peace Negotiating Panel on their speaking tour “Justice and Liberation: The Road to Peace in the Philippines” between 24 October – 12 November around NZ.
"We are aware that Pres. Benigno Simeon Aquino III courted the support of the United States for Philippines' bid to become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) during his recent meeting with US Pres. Barack Obama. Just like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade – World Trade Organisation (GATT-WTO) and other US-designed trade deals, TPP spells more profits for big business and nothing but losses for ordinary people in the Philippines, New Zealand and other countries.
If Aquino is serious about making lives better for ordinary Filipinos, negotiating for TPP and other unfair economic deals with the US should be junked altogether. It would be better for Filipinos if formal peace negotiations on the agenda of urgent social and economic reforms will be pushed by the Aquino administration instead of Philippines' entry to the TPP," Horton stated.
Horton, who is also the Spokesperson of 'New Zealand Not for Sale' campaign, concluded, "Filipinos and New Zealanders have had enough of unrestrained trade liberalisation that destroyed local agriculture and industries. Thus the TPP issue is a common ground for us to oppose what is essentially a back door way of achieving another free trade agreement that will mainly benefit the US.
Murray Horton
Secretary
Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA)
cafca@chch.planet.org.nz
www.converge.org.nz/psna
