| FTA MAL: DISCLOSURE AND MYSTERIES Revelation: Our biodiversity and traditional knowledge have been delivered. In signing the FTA with the United States, Peru agree to accept the patenting of plants, not to require special conditions they are of species native to our area. On the other hand, the Treaty makes no requirement that such patents should provide benefits to Peru or the indigenous peoples whose knowledge has basic service for patent. On the issue of biodiversity there is only one letter, lateral to the Treaty in the United States only recognize the issue but do not commit to anything, absolutely nothing. Thus, the FTA signed medicinal plants native to our territory, that the Peruvians have learned to exploit hundreds of years back, could be patented genetic modification and some small gains would be exclusively for transnational corporations. Even the Peruvians will have to pay high prices for these plants, due to patent. This was the subject of public debate months ago, and Pablo de la Flor - deputy minister and chief negotiator, said publicly that this FTA defend the heritage that Peru has in biodiversity and traditional knowledge. Today, it is clear that none of it was true. is not, of course, a minor issue. Biodiversity is one of the few areas in which Peru has a great wealth. Knowledge is regarded as the basis of global development for a decade, and its economic use defines the difference between being a developed country or remain a poor country. We have a great wealth to which this government, like all the others, has turned his back, and that wealth would give this evil TLC. Mystery: Why the paragraphs referring to the possibility of raising patents and public health need is not part of the treaty, but a side letter? Why not say explicitly that the protection of test data can also be waived in these cases? Why limit this to the text emergency and does not include other public health needs, as it does the Doha Declaration of the World Trade Organization? Mystery: Why have not published the section of the Treaty relating to agriculture? How is that six weeks is enough to have the draft text on everything else except this issue is the most sensitive of all? What are you hiding? Already knew that signing the FTA with the United States would profoundly affect agriculture, allowing subsidized imports that represent unfair competition and impoverish the peasants. We knew that generics would take more power to compete and drugs go up in price. We knew that with the FTA, mining companies that pollute the environment and evade taxes would have the protection of international tribunals. All we knew. Now we also know that the negotiating team lied when he spoke of defending our biogenetic wealth, and more than a month after the negotiations were concluded, still withholding information on agriculture. Under these conditions, Ferrero and Toledo insist that this terrible Congress, unaware of the issue, to approve the FTA. What nerve. |
| |
Pedro Francke