TUNA AID AGAINST TERRORISM ?

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TUNA AID AGAINST TERRORISM ?
(By Mr. Henk Brus)

Just when American troops were landing on the Zamboanga airport to battle terrorism, EU trade officials were packing their suitcases after a series of meetings involving a WTO trade conflict in Manila

The Americans are stationed less than 50 kilometers away from two large tuna canneries in Zamboanga, Philippines and are currently preparing with their Philippine counter parts an offensive against the Abu Sayaf Muslim terrorist group, sponsored by Osamen Bin Laden.

Both these mentioned tuna canneries employ mostly Muslim women from surrounding villages who are struggling to provide a living for their families.

EU officials concentrated their visit within meeting rooms in Manila, where they met with government officials from the Philippines and Thailand. The meetings were the result of the complaint that both countries have made to the World Trade Organization, because of “unfair treatment” in terms of a protective 24% import duty on preserved tuna products. The argument is that tuna exports from Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia into the European Union are still slapped by 24% duty, while almost all other tuna producing countries in the world enjoy a duty free access into this market, through the ACP and Andean Trade Agreements.

Main reason why the three Asian nations are being handicapped by a 24% duty has been the strong opposition from the Spanish and French canning industries. They fear the low labor costs of the Asian nations, and project that duty free entry for these nations would inevitably mean the collapse of their domestic industries.

It was therefore not surprising that the EU officials, upon their return in Brussels, were immediately confronted with a PR offensive. A campaign launched by ANFACO, the organization that promotes the interests of the Spanish Tuna Canners. Their press release was quickly to point out which dramatic social-economic consequences any reduction of duties would have for the 90.000 employed in the Spanish canning industry.

This well-timed PR offensive by the Spanish tuna industry is much stronger than the initiatives of Thailand and Philippines. Where their European counterparts are immediately seeking the offensive, the Asians are mostly keeping a low profile, just hoping for justice to be done. This is in sharp contrast with the efforts of the Ecuadorian Tuna Industry, which is fighting aggressively to secure in Washington a 0% import duty for their canned tuna.

The Asian politicians do not make themselves heard around the world, and give at least the impression to pursue other ambitions. How different then is the approach of Mr. Cesar Rohon, who as a representative of the Ecuadorian Tuna Industry, let no moment un-used to promote the interests of the entire tuna industry in his home country. He has no trouble motivating his Minister of Trade to join him on a lobbying mission to Washington. Or take Senator Faleomavaega, who is fighting as a lion to protect the interests of his fellow American Samoans working in the tuna industry !

The arguments for the granting of 0% duty to Ecuador in the US tuna market are also dominated by the aspects of providing work and income to the poor people of Ecuador, as well as the efforts to bring down the cultivation of drugs in these regions. At the same time, American Samoa is making a hard case for protecting the livelihood of its local population, of whom a large part works in the tuna canneries of Chicken-of-the-Sea and StarKist.

Sofar most of the publicly expressed arguments of Philippines and Thailand have been just plainly emphasizing their “unfair treatment” compared to the ACP and Andean Nations. However, almost nothing is heard about what positive social-economic benefits a reduction of duty could have on boosting employment and investments in a poor region as the island Mindanao, where 90% of the Philippine Canning Industry is located. Nothing is heard about “Aid Against Terrorism” or ” Aid Instead of Arms”. No strong case has been made, within the world media, emphasizing the presence of the extremist Muslim terrorist on the island, the correlation between religious and social-economic problems, and what role the local tuna industry could play! European and S- American Tuna interest groups would not have failed to use this opportunity !!

The arguments “unfair treatment” of Thailand and Philippines, often emphasizes too much the purely economic consequences in terms of loss of profit possibilities for the local industries, instead of constructive positive social-economic development which benefits the local population

One of the reasons for this weak approach by the Asians probably lies in the fact that their local industries are not united enough to gain the interest from political heavy weights to support their cause. Especially in the Philippines, the tuna industry has missed many opportunities to come forward as one united front. Local Philippine politicians, ministers of Trade, or the country’s President are hardly heard talking about the importance of their local Tuna economy. This cannot be said about the Spanish politicians in the European parliament, who leave no occasion un-utilized to fiercely support the interests of the people they represent. Last year the president of Ecuador even attended the signing of the WTPO (World Tuna Purse seine Organization) agreement in his country!!

The fact that both Philippines and Thailand have connected their faith together might not work out as positively as hoped. Thailand has a flourishing tourist industry, enjoys the in-flow of millions of European dollars, has no large domestic tuna fishing industry. Thailand does not know the kind of social problems, which can be compared to the Muslim terrorists in Mindanao. The Thai also have no fishing rights they could possibly trade with the European Tuna Fishing nations. Instead they are trying to secure tuna fishing right themselves in bi-lateral agreements with countries like Indonesia.

By Philippines and Thailand connecting their fate over this WTO conflict together, it is possible that Philippines might not get what they were hoping for, which could be very bad news for its weakened canning industry.

In these times politicians, in Brussels and Washington, want to look strong and generous by providing social and economic aid and support to regions plagued by Osamen Bin Laden sponsored terrorism. They do not want to look weak by giving in to Asian demands, and making thousands of their Europeans jobless….

(By end of March 2002 we might know more …..).

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