Mercosur condemns EU migrant law

South American heads of state have ended a regional summit with a fierce attack on EU immigration policies.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told the Mercosur meeting in Argentina that Europe had “legalised barbarism”.
The EU laws, due to come into force in 2010, could see illegal immigrants held for up to 18 months and face a five-year ban on re-entry if expelled.
The summit also voiced concerns about rising global food prices.
But it was the EU rules passed last month that truly united the South American leaders in anger at the gathering in the northern city of Tucuman, says the BBC’s Daniel Schweimler in Argentina.
‘Outrageous’
In a joint declaration, they rejected “every effort to criminalise irregular migration and the adoption of restrictive immigration policies, in particular against the most vulnerable sectors of society, women and children”.
The statement also noted “the necessity to fight against racism, discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance”.
It was signed by the seven presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, and ministers from associate Mercosur members Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa called the EU measures “shameful”.
Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva branded the law “outrageous, ignominious”.
Bolivian leader Evo Morales said the measures did nothing to combat racism.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said the law was inadmissible.
Uruguay’s leader Tabare Vazquez said: “Nobody emigrates for fun, they do it out of necessity.”
There are hundreds of thousands of South Americans working in EU countries, many of them illegally.
Under the new rules, an illegal immigrant can be detained for a maximum of six months. This period is extendable by a further 12 months under certain conditions if, for example, the immigrant fails to co-operate with the authorities.
The other main issue discussed at the summit was the high price of food.
Brazil’s president urged more food production, while Bolivia’s leader criticised groups that speculate over food prices.
” They must understand that eating is a human right,” said Mr Morales.

How dare these third world countries try to dictate the policies of other countries when they can’t even properly rule their own – clean up your own back yards before you start sticking your nose in other peoples affairs. You’re sounding like the liberal left you punks!

Expert at UN seeks to halt biofuel output

Another piece from the AP.

A U.N expert called the growing practice of converting good crops into biofuel “a crime against humanity”, saying it is creating food shortages and price jumps that cause millions of poor people to go hungry.

Jean Ziegler, who has been the United Nations’ independent expert on the right to food since the position was established in 2000, called for a five-year moratorium on biofuel production to halt what he called a growing ‘catastrophe’ for the poor.

Scientific research is progressing very quickly, he said, “and in five years it will be possible to make biofuel and biodiesel from agricultural waste” rather than wheat, corn, sugar cane and other food crops.

Using biofuel instead of gasoline in cars is generally considered to cut carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute to global warming, although some scientists say greenhouse gases released during the production of biofuel could offset those gains.

The use of crops for biofuel is being pursued especially in Brazil and the United States.

Last March, President Bush and Brazilian President Luiz Inancio Lula da Silva signed an agreement committing their countries to boosting ethanol production. They said increasing use of alternative fuels would lead to more jobs, a cleaner environment and greater independence from the whims of the the oil market.

Ziegler called their motives legitimate, but said that “the effect of transforming hundreds and hundreds of thousands of tones of maize, of wheat, of beans, of palm oil, into agricultural fules is absolutely catastrophic for the hungry people.”

The world price of wheat doubled in one year and the price of corn quadrupled, leaving poor countries, especially Africa, unable to pay for the imported food needed to feed their people, he said. And poor people in those countries are unable to pay the soaring prices for the food that does not come in, he added.

“So it’s a crime against humanity” to devote agricultural land to biofuel production, Ziegler said in a news conference. “What has to be stopped is … the growing catastrophe of the massacre (by) hunger in the world,” he said.

As an example, he said it takes 510 pounds of corn to produce 13 gallons of ethanol. That much corn would feed a child ind Zambia or Mexico for a year, he said.

Benjamin Chang, a spokesman for the U.S. mission to the United Nations, said the Bush administration didn’t condsider development a threat to the poor.

“It’s clear we have a commitment to the development of biofuels, he said. “It’s also clear that we are committed to combating poverty and supporting economic developement around the world as the leading contributor of oversaes development assistance in the world.”

Ziegler, a sociology professor at the University of Geneva and the University of the Sorbonne in Paris, presented a report to the U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee saying a five-year moratorium on biofuel production would allow time for new technologies for using agricultural byproducts instead of food itself.

Researchers are looking at crop residues such as corn cobs, rice husks and banana leaves, he said. “The cultivation of Jatropha Curcas, as shrub that produces large oil-bearing seeds, appears to offer a good solution as it can be grown in arid lands that are not normally suitable for food crops,” he said.

Here’s what I don’t like about the AP reporting as well as other reporting from most newspapers. No one cites references to back up their claims. Nor do they update their stories when new information comes available.

Secondly, Ziegler is a goof. Africa is not a country. One would think that a professor should know this. And to call this a massacre and a crime against humanity – please, give me a break. We, the USofA, send more money to more countries than all other countries combined. Ziegler owes us an apology.

What if the USofA were to resign from the UN? In my opinion, we’d be much better off. We could then tell all the members that they have to find another ‘home’ and we could use the UN building for our own selves, freeing up 11,500 square feet of space that we’d put to better use. Bet that would make them shit themselves.

MorganLighter