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<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><font size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold;font-style:italic'>Chief Reporter</span></font></i></b><b><font size=2
color=blue face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
color:blue;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";font-weight:bold'>TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP:
NZ JUMPING ONTO A SINKING SHIP<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>Talks started in <st1:City w:st="on">Melbourne</st1:City>
today for the <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'>, </span></font><st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Peru</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Vietnam</st1:country-region> to join an expanded Trans-Pacific Strategic
Economic Partnership (TPP, currently comprising NZ, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Chile</st1:country-region>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Brunei</st1:country-region>, and <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Singapore</st1:country-region>, known as the P4 Agreement), with
November 2011, when the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>
hosts APEC, as the target to seal the deal. This will be used as the backdoor
means to secure a US/NZ Free Trade Agreement. Already the Americans have said
that they see this as more than a mere free trade deal but as a vehicle for
broader Asia/Pacific economic integration, which has enormous political
implications. Alarm bells should be loudly sounding.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>A free trade deal with the <st1:country-region
w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> would be catastrophic for any remaining
economic sovereignty that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New
Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region> has. CAFCA says this not because we
are “anti-American”. All such FTAs – such as with the
existing P4 partners, or the more recent ones with Malaysia, the Gulf States
and Hong Kong - pose the same threat to a greater or lesser degree. And our
opposition to them is not because of “xenophobia” but for well
founded grounds that they simply enmesh NZ more and more tightly in a cobweb of
transnational corporate control.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>So it’s a recipe for disaster to enter
into an FTA with the biggest economy in the world, headed by a Government that
aggressively pushes the interests of American Big Business (there is a seamless
flow between the US Government and US Big Business, as is evidenced by the
trillion dollar bailout of the mega-greedy financial sector, a textbook example
of socialism for the rich). <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>And why would NZ want to jump onto a sinking
ship? The US has big, big problems at the moment, with huge debt, record numbers
of people losing their jobs and/or homes, company crashes, and a preoccupation
with having to do something to fix its ramshackle social infrastructure
(President Obama has postponed his Australian trip, which was to coincide with
the start of these negotiations, to spend more time dealing with his campaign
to reform the laughing stock that is the US health system). World trade dropped
12% in 2009, the biggest plunge since WW2, and globalisation is no longer
flavour of the month – except with blinkered ideologues like Mike Moore,
whom the Government has appointed as Ambassador to the <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> with an FTA
as his self-proclaimed top priority. We’d be better off getting as far
away as possible from this particular sinking ship.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>A full blown US FTA will:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><font size=2
face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Trebuchet MS"'>Remove any remaining “restrictions” on foreign
investment, as the US regards NZ’s (purely token) oversight regime
as “discriminating” against US transnational corporations,
even though the Government has promised to further “liberalise”
the Overseas Investment Act, a law which is in danger of being liberalised
to death.<o:p></o:p></span></font></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><font size=2
face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Trebuchet MS"'>push up the price of medicines by potentially hundreds of
millions of dollars a year by attacking Pharmac; <o:p></o:p></span></font></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><font size=2
face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Trebuchet MS"'>make access to digital recordings more expensive, and
copying more restricted; <o:p></o:p></span></font></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><font size=2
face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Trebuchet MS"'>attack our GE controls and food labelling, <o:p></o:p></span></font></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><font size=2
face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Trebuchet MS"'>weaken our controls on food imports where they might carry
diseases.</span></font><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'><o:p></o:p></span></font></li>
</ul>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>It is always presented as a means of getting
NZ agricultural products into the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> market. Ask Australian sugar
cane growers how successful they were in getting their product into the US
under the US/Australia FTA (Australia is one of the countries wishing to join
the TPP, so that what they managed to protect from their FTA with the US is now
also up for grabs). The Americans have a simple policy when it comes to
“free trade” – do as they say, not as they do. In other
words, they want the world’s markets opened up to their products, while
keeping their own heavily subsidised agribusiness sector fully or heavily
protected from outside competitors.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>Both National and Labour myopically see a US
FTA as being the Holy Grail of their adherence to the cargo cult of “free
trade”. It’s actually a poisoned chalice and it will be <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region>
which will be poisoned by it. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>This is also presented as NZ’s
“reward” for being a loyal little satellite of the <st1:country-region
w:st="on">US</st1:country-region>, and taking a bigger role in the American war
in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
</span></font><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN-NZ
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>Older New Zealanders will
remember the infamous “guns for butter” phrase of Sir Keith
Holyoake, Prime Minister during our involvement in the Vietnam War. It means
sending our soldiers to fight in US wars in order to, theoretically, gain trade
access. Nothing much seems to have changed in the ensuing 40 years (except now
it is “guns for milk”, as the Government’s trade policy is
driven by a single minded focus on serving Fonterra’s interests). It is
worth noting that the Waihopai spybase is NZ’s biggest contribution to
each and any American war, much more so than any deployment of a few SAS troops
to help prop up a horrendously corrupt Government of warlords and drug barons
in Afghanistan.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN-NZ
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN-NZ
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>People who kid themselves
that “we” stand to gain from a Free Trade Agreement with the <st1:country-region
w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> would be wise to reflect on the rueful words
of Sir Christopher Meyer, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region>’s
Ambassador to the <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> in the
runup to the 2003 US/UK invasion of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Speaking to the current
public Inquiry into <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region>’s
part in that invasion and war: “Meyer expressed frustration that <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region> was unable to gain much diplomatic
leverage from its position as the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>’ chief ally. <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region> failed to persuade the <st1:country-region
w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> to liberalise trans-Atlantic air travel and,
almost on the day when British commandoes joined the fighting in <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> imposed tariffs on imports of
specialised British steel” (<i><span style='font-style:italic'>Press</span></i>,
28/11/09). If this is the way that the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> treats its “chief
ally” when it comes to protecting its own trade and economic interests,
how do you think little old NZ will get on?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"'>For full details see the New Zealand Not For
Sale Website <a href="http://www.nznotforsale.org/"
title="http://www.nznotforsale.org/"><font color=black><span style='color:windowtext'>www.nznotforsale.org</span></font></a>
There you will find a wealth of information about just why this proposed Free
Trade Agreement is such a bad thing. We particularly recommend that you read Bill
Rosenberg’s excellent article “Who Wins If We Get A Free Trade Deal
With The US?” <a
href="http://www.nznotforsale.org/who-wins-if-we-get-a-free-trade-with-the-us/"
title="http://www.nznotforsale.org/who-wins-if-we-get-a-free-trade-with-the-us/"><font
color=black><span style='color:windowtext'>http://www.nznotforsale.org/who-wins-if-we-get-a-free-trade-with-the-us/</span></font></a><font
color=black><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font size=2
color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Trebuchet MS";color:black'>Murray</span></font></st1:place></st1:City><font
size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'> Horton<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'>Secretary/Organiser<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'>CAFCA</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'>Campaign
Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa</span></font><font size=2 color=black
face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><font size=2
color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Trebuchet MS";color:black'>Box 2258</span></font></st1:Street><font size=2
color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Trebuchet MS";color:black'>, <st1:City w:st="on">Christchurch</st1:City>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:country-region></span></font></st1:address><font
size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'><a
href="mailto:cafca@chch.planet.org.nz"><font color=black><span
style='color:black'>cafca@chch.planet.org.nz</span></font></a></span></font><font
size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'><a
href="http://www.cafca.org.nz"><font color=black><span style='color:black'>www.cafca.org.nz</span></font></a></span></font><font
size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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