Leaked documents reveal hardline US tactics in negotiating trade agreement
Source: Guardian
Leaked documents reveal hardline US tactics in negotiating trade agreement
Critics claim deal could affect anything from price of medicines to copyright laws, and that Senate should release details
Gabrielle Chan and Daniel Hurst
theguardian.com, Monday 9 December 2013 03.34 EST
Leaked documents from the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations between Australia and its 10 Pacific neighbour nations suggest the US is using “high-pressure tactics” to get market access, as the Abbott government refused to release details ahead of signing the deal.
The government has refused an order by the Senate to release the details of Australia’s position on the TPP before the agreement is signed, a move Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson described as a “contempt” for the Australian parliament and the people.
Critics of the TPP are concerned that the deal could affect anything from the cost of medicines to the intellectual property rights of Australian citizens who compete with competitors in Pacific countries, notably the US.
However trade minister Andrew Robb on Monday said no final agreement had been made and he committed not to subscribe to anything not in the interests of the Australian people, including on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/leaked-documents-reveal-hardline-us-tactics-in-negotiating-trade-agreement
= new reply since forum marked as read
"We cannot let the proles know any of the details. Smirk. Sneer." - TPP Corporate Facists, Inc. (R - GlobalStyle)
