Sir, - I wish to take issue with the letter from the US Ambassador (November 26th) on the benefits of the WTO meeting in Seattle.
The WTO is a secretive and indeed sinister organisation whose global decisions are effectively destroying the ability of governments everywhere to protect social and environmental rights and public health. Not only is it destroying existing environment and social legislation built up slowly and painfully over the last four decades in the developed world, but it is also preventing, for example, legislation to protect children working in unspeakable conditions for major global corporations in the developing world.
This sinister organisation has been given the right by global governments to put free trade above all other considerations. This is not freedom but anarchy. We in the Green movement want fair trade, but we also want health, social and environmental rights to be upheld. This is not happening in Seattle, in spite of PR to the contrary. In fact, the remit of the WTO is being widened by the trade ministers. People everywhere should be, and indeed are, becoming aware of the appalling way that their rights are being destroyed by the WTO. - Yours, etc., Nuala Ahern
MEP, Oaklands, Greystones, Co Wicklow.