[Ip-health] Stiglitz critic with Colombian/US FTA & defends public ownership

[Judit Rius Sanjuan]

http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=3D7076

posted 7-02-2007

The Nobel prizewinner said he believes neither Colombia nor the United
States needs a Free Trade Agreement. =93It=92s not necessary. One of the
problems is that within these treaties there isn=92t really much commerce.
They are mainly about protection of investments and intellectual
property that will make it harder for Colombians to acquire medicines
that can save their lives,=94 Stiglitz said./
-------------------------

Peri=F3dico 26 | 5 de febrero 2007

*Joseph Stiglitz Defends Public Ownership *

Joseph Stiglitz, a 2001 Nobel Laureate for Economy, said the
nationalization of businesses announced by Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez should not cause alarm, because in many countries, including the
United States, there are publicly owned firms that work better than
private ones, reported AFP.

In a telephone interview from New York with Caracol Radio of Bogota
<http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=3D7069>, Stiglitz spoke
on the Free Trade Agreement signed between the United States and
Colombia. He called it =93neither fair nor free=94 and said it =93will make=
 it
more difficult for Colombians to purchase medicines.=94

=93Public firms can be very successful, like the social security and
pension system in the United States, which is more efficient than any
private insurance company,=94 said Stiglitz who was an adviser to
President William Clinton.

The economist questioned statements by President Bush on the
privatizations in Venezuela. Stiglitz pointed out that the issues
involved are complex and that the US president appears not to fully
understand.

=93Firstly, President Bush is not an expert on anything. He is one of the
most incompetent and corrupt leaders. Privatization and nationalization
are very complex,=94 said Stiglitz, in the interview translated by Caracol
Radio.

Bush says he is worried about democracy and the nationalizations
announced by Chavez in Venezuela, which he says "will make it harder for
the Venezuelan people to be lifted out of poverty, will make it harder
for the people to realize their full potential."

Upon taking office on January 10, President Chavez announced plans to
nationalize six electric companies.

Stiglitz told Caracol that the Free Trade Agreement =93is called free, but
if that were so, it would eliminate US government subsidies on
agriculture and tariff barriers that, for example, have kept Colombian
flowers out of the United States.=94

=93What is really happening is that small Colombian industries are going
to face competition from the big US multinationals. It=92s a competitive
disadvantage, and at the same time, the United States is not being
reciprocal in areas like agriculture,=94 he added.

The Nobel prizewinner said he believes neither Colombia nor the United
States needs a Free Trade Agreement.

=93It=92s not necessary. One of the problems is that within these treaties
there isn=92t really much commerce. They are mainly about protection of
investments and intellectual property that will make it harder for
Colombians to acquire medicines that can save their lives,=94 Stiglitz said=
.

/Stiglitz=92 quotes taken from the Spanish translation/


--
Judit Rius Sanjuan
Attorney
judit.rius@keionline.org

Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
www.cptech.org
1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA
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