(TTIP) Citing Corporate Takeover, UN Official Calls for Halt In Secret Trade Talks

[mother earth]

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/05/05/citing-corporate-takeover-un-official-calls-halt-secret-trade-talks

A United Nations official has called for a moratorium on secret negotiations over a United States-European Union "free trade" deal, citing concerns that the corporate tribunals likely to be included in the final pact would boost the power of multinationals at the expense of democracy and human rights.

Alfred de Zayas, the UN's independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, made the statements in an interview with The Guardian published Monday. He took aim at the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement, which would be the largest "free trade" deal in world history, as the U.S. and E.U. together account for nearly half of global GDP.

"We don’t want a dystopian future in which corporations and not democratically elected governments call the shots," said de Zayas, a U.S.-based lawyer and historian born in Cuba. "We don’t want an international order akin to post-democracy or post-law."

De Zayas expressed particular concerns about the proposed "investor-state dispute settlement" system (ISDS), which would provide a framework for corporations to sue governments over alleged lost profits and overrule national laws, courts, and democratic processes. Such corporate tribunals have become hallmarks of so-called "free trade" agreements, included in 3,000 such deals world-wide, such as the infamous North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

"Most worrisome are the ISDS arbitrations, which constitute an attempt to escape the jurisdiction of national courts and bypass the obligation of all states to ensure that all legal cases are tried before independent tribunals that are public, transparent, accountable and appealable," said de Zayas.

This is not the first time de Zayas has issued such warnings. Last month, he released a statement in which he charged that fast track adoption and secret negotiation of "free trade" treaties "is tantamount to disenfranchising the public and constitutes a violation of human rights law, which stipulates that every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity to take part in the conduct of public affairs."

The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is currently pressing for passage of "Fast Track" legislation that would allow the White House to ram through secret deals currently under negotiation. In addition to the TTIP, the Obama administration is also currently negotiation the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Trade in Services Agreement.

Labor, environmental, community, and human rights organizations around the world have mobilized for years against these and other such pacts, with organized opposition to the TTIP mounting on both sides of the Atlantic.

But de Zayas warned in April, "There is a general lack of awareness concerning the adverse effects that existing bilateral and multilateral free trade and investment agreements already have on the enjoyment of human rights, including the right to health, the right to education and the right to live in a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment."

[djean111]

1. Thank you.

[think]

2. And now the UN speaks on this important topic

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. wow...do we dare hope....is the tide turning???? n/t

[ucrdem]

4. Okay but your headline is wrong.

TTIP and TPP are two different treaties. One is pacific rim (TPP) and the other us US-EU (TTIP) and they really are distinctly different.

[mother earth]

5. TY, eliminated TPP from the headline, and for clarification adding the following link.

http://economyincrisis.org/content/tpp-and-ttip-two-different-trade-agreements-have-the-same-purpose-and-will-give-us-the-same-disastrous-results

TPP and TTIP, Two Different Trade Agreements, Both Will Have the Same Disastrous Results

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Not in the court aspect

but nice try... seriously.

[Phlem]

10. Love seeing you back here.

It's changed a bit yes? Thanks to Bernie.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. As far as I am concenred

it is me who changed, radically.

After covering things in the streets, and finding how hard oligarchy is affecting people, I got a zen state of mind. I really do not care who or what runs for office... in oligarchies it really does not matter.

We cover way too much policy issues. So once you look under the hood.

Yes, Bernie (or I) are of the same cut of cloth. We both care for policy, but I run a non partisan website, and I care little for becoming a partisan again.

Though need to send the campaign an interview request, like all the rest. Funny, I think him and Carson have the best chance of granting one to a small outlet in a non swing state. Mind you, for radically different reasons.

[99th_Monkey]

7. Good!! TPP would probably pull out all stops to 'drown' the UN in proverbial bathtub.

I hope the UN votes overwhelmingly to outlaw such secret deals in the future too.

[whereisjustice]

8. "ram through" is an understatement. These deals cut the throats of US workers, bleeding us out

to Asia for pennies on the dollar. All the profits go to the Wall Street class citizens. Enough of this shit.

[asiliveandbreathe]

9. Big News - Huge - I just can't imagine a country,

any country giving up their right to appeal....for any reason....

..so, if my country raises taxes on your corporation..therefore cutting into your profit..you can sue my country for "loss of Profit" - or I sue your ass for environmental disasters - etc etc etc....you can sue me for "loss of profit"...

you can't make this stuff up...

[sabrina 1]

17. It's so outrageous you wonder, who are these people? And who in their right mind would

allow their countries to have their very sovereignty signed away like that?

And to think, we would not even know about this had Wikileaks not published the leaks.

Thanks AGAIN to Whistle Blowers!

No wonder they tried so hard to keep it secret.

It's like a ransom note handed to a bank teller: 'Just hand over the money and keep your mouth shut'.

But then someone yelled 'look what is going on over there' and at least gave the people the chance to try to stop them.

[awoke_in_2003]

19. They don't care...

The leaders who get it passed will live a very rich retirement. Hell, their daughters may even marry investment bankers.

[jwirr]

12. Both the TPP and the TTIP are mentioned in the article. I suspect that the UN is trying to defend

the little countries. I welcome their help.

[JDPriestly]

15. Trying to defend ordinary people the world over. Our rights are also at risk.

[liberal_at_heart]

13. Thank you UN.

[JDPriestly]

14. K&R.

[sabrina 1]

16. Good, however it is stopped, I hope it is, all the help we the people, who oppose it, need is

welcome.

[JohnyCanuck]

18. K&R

[woo me with science]

20. K&R