Groups march peacefully ahead of biosafety talks
Date: 24-Jan-00
Country: CANADA
Police estimated that roughly 300 people, including adults with children
and university students, participated in the two-hour demonstration held
in temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) and gusting
winds.
"It went very peacefully. There were no incidents," said Montreal Urban
Police Commander Andre Durocher.
The marchers returned to a local university for a conference on genetic
engineering and trade hosted by Greenpeace and other environmental and
public interest groups. Participants said they wanted to get their
message across even though they will not be participating in the U.N
talks, which begin formally on Monday.
"We are entitled as human beings to live in a world where we can choose
what we can eat, as long as we don't interfere with other people's
right," said protester Dominique Carrara, 54, who carried a placard
reading: "No GMOs (genetically modified organisms) on my plate."
The protesters were hoping to bring pressure to bear on the delegates
from 134 countries gathering in Montreal to try to finish negotiations
on a U.N.-sponsored Biosafety Protocol. Heading into the talks, the
United States is at odds with the European Union and developing
countries on a range of issues.
The EU wants the protocol to cover food safety issues related to
genetically modified crops, but the United States has tried to keep the
talks focused on the environmental aspects of genetically modified
organisms.
The United States also wants to ensure that the protocol does not
override the rights and obligations of countries under other
international agreements, in particular the World Trade Organisation.
Jeremy Rifkin, the Washington-based environmental activist whose group
backed a class action lawsuit filed against life sciences group Monsanto
Co. over its handling of genetically modified crops, told Reuters the
Montreal talks may well collapse or result in a watered down agreement.
"A collapse or less-than-full agreement works against the biotech
industry in a major way because the clock is ticking against them,"
Rifkin said.
"If the talks collapse, that means more unpredictability because then
countries will go their own way."
Meanwhile, Francois Clermont, of Biotech Action Montreal, which
organised the march along with Greenpeace and the public interest group
Council of Canadians, said the groups plan to hold daily vigils outside
the biosafety talks at the U.N.-affiliated International Civil Aviation
Organisation.
But unlike the demonstrations against the World Trade Organisation talks
in Seattle last November that degenerated into riots as demonstrators
prevented delegates from reaching their meetings, the nongovernmental
groups in Montreal do not want to disrupt the biosafety talks.
"We will hand out pamphlets and other information to the delegates. It
will be peaceful," Clermont said.