The Third WTO Ministerial, Seattle, 30 November to 3 December, 1999)

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U.S. bombshell re WTO
From Inside US Trade, 4 June 1999. U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky announced on June 1 that the U.S. wants a “top-down” approach in negotiations on eliminating barriers to trade in services—meaning that rather than countries negotiating on areas they all can agree they want liberalized, all services will be put on the table at once, including health and education.
Open Letter from Open World Conference in Defense of Trade Union Independence and Democratic Rights (OWC)
27 August, 1999. The campaign to demand the ratification, implementation and enforcement of the ILO Conventions.
Three Months Until WTO Ministerial And Agenda Differences Unresolved
By Daniel Pruzin, Bureau of National Affairs, 30 August 1999. Big gaps remain within the WTO membership over what negotiations should cover, how the talks should be carried out, and whether any minor sectoral agreements should be clinched as confidence-building measures in the run-up to Seattle.
Big Business and Democracy on Collision Course at WTO
By Danielle Knight, InterPress Serfice, 15 September 1999. Union leaders, environmentalists and lawmakers join hands to strengthen opposition to further liberalisation of trade rules at an upcoming session of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Seattle.
Labor Wants Seat at WTO Talks
Washgington Post, 13 October 1999. Globalization of international commerce leaves labor unions in a quandary. While trade can create jobs, unions increasingly believe that global deals cut to foster trade have few provisions to ensure that the rights of workers are protected.
For Seattle, Triumph and Protest
New York Times 13 October 1999. The free trade meeting has become a giant protest magnet for a broad array of environmental, labor and other groups that say the trade body is a handmaid to corporate interests whose authority should be sharply curtailed.