Posted on Thu, Jun. 05, 2008
Associated Press
ROME --
Delegates in the closing hours of a three-day U.N. summit were trying to
agree Thursday on a final document on how to tackle growing hunger and
civil unrest sparked by skyrocketing prices of food and fuel.
But Cuba and some other Latin American countries were insisting on
language condemning embargoes, and Argentina was objecting to calls in
the document to ease trade restrictions, participants and U.N. officials
said.
The protracted wrangling forced U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization
officials to put off a planned news conference from late afternoon to
early evening.
The embargo snag figured in the failure of a late-night round of talks
Wednesday to reach agreement, said Nick Parsons, a spokesman for the
Rome-based FAO, which hosted the summit.
The United States, a huge aid donor, opposes efforts to condemn its
long-running embargo against communist-run Cuba.
''Our policy on Cuba hasn't changed,'' U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed
Schafer told reporters as negotiators worked behind closed doors to try
to salvage an accord. He headed the U.S. delegation, which declined to
comment on the embargo demand.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had told the summit such trade
measures as import taxes and export restrictions must be minimized to
help ease world hunger caused by soaring food prices.
The Argentines were dissatisfied with the draft's wording calling for a
''reduction in trade barriers,'' Guatemalan Agriculture Minister Raul
Robles said.
Export taxes have been a hot political issue in Argentina, where farmers
have resorted to strikes to protest a tax hike on soy and sunflower seed
exports.
The government says the higher revenue is needed to redistribute the
wealth to the poor, but farmers say the hikes make it difficult to earn
a living.
The Argentine delegation did not immediately return calls requesting
comment.
Robles said discussions with Havana's representatives indicated the
embargo snag was approaching a solution.
Parsons said another sticking point in the talks going into Thursday
involved some French reservations over language calling for world trade
talk progress.
A final draft of the summit declaration that was being haggled over
Thursday calls for stepped up food production, reduced trade
restrictions and more research on the contentious issue of biofuels.
A copy of the draft obtained by The Associated Press ends with a pledge
to alleviate the suffering caused by the crisis, to stimulate food
production, to increase investment in agriculture, to address obstacles
to food access and to use the planet's resources in a sustainable way.
The declaration of resolve to ''address obstacles to food access'' could
be taken to refer to, among other restrictive measures, embargoes.
Previous food summits in Rome dating back to the last decade have also
seen Cuba press for condemnation of the embargo.
The draft sought a balance between contrasting positions on biofuels
that were highlighted during the summit. It said it was ''essential'' to
address the ''challenges and opportunities'' posed by biofuels.
''In-depth studies are necessary to ensure that production and use of
biofuels is sustainable,'' it said.
Fuels made from sugar cane, corn and other crops have been seen as a way
to combat climate change and rising oil prices. The United States has
been heavily subsidizing corn-based ethanol production. Last year, the
27-nation European Union endorsed a plan calling for biofuels to make up
10 percent of the fuel for road vehicles by 2020.
But environmentalists, international groups and some countries are
becoming increasingly wary of biofuels, which they say could accelerate
global warming by encouraging deforestation -- and contribute heavily to
the commodities price hike by diverting production from food crops to
biofuel crops.
The draft calls on the international community to continue efforts ``in
liberalizing international trade in agriculture by reducing trade
barriers and market-distorting policies.''
The document also echoes Ban's call to increase food production by 50
percent by 2030 to meet rising demand.
Ban predicted that as much as $20 billion may be needed each year to
increase food production.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/story/559557.html
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