BY EVA CHENG

Having failed to restart the World Trade Organisation negotiations since the mass demonstrations in Seattle last November, the US is now seeking to prioritise the “free trade” regime in the Americas as an interim measure.

Hence, the plan to broaden the notorious North American Free Trade Agreement to the whole of the Americas and the Caribbean, and to expand its mandate to cover many non-trade matters.

The planned new agreement is called the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Washington hopes to knock it into shape at a gathering of representatives of 34 countries on April 20-22 in Quebec City. All countries from the region, except Cuba, have been invited to join.

Anti-capitalist activists are not going to let the participants meet in peace, or at all. Following the chain of inspiring anti-capitalist mobilisations that began in Seattle, followed by protests in Washington (April), Melbourne (September 11-13 ), Prague (September 26-28) and Seoul (October 20), as well as many similar but less reported actions in both the First and Third World, activists are now planning to shut down the Quebec meeting in the next mass mobilisation against capitalism and imperialism.

The Anti-Capitalist Convergence (La Convergence des luttes anti-capitalistes — CLAC) has been formed to coordinate the Quebec protests and related activities. The CLAC is inviting anti-capitalist activists around the world to take part. Email <clac@tao.ca> for details.

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