Who will be there?
Heads of state or premiers of all countries in North and South America, 34 in all, will attend. It will be hosted by Canada’s Prime Minister, Jean Chretien and attended by George Bush. Cuba is the only absentee. It does not make the democratic grade.
What will they do?
They are expected to finalise a timetable for creating a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which would be the biggest free trade area in the world, embracing 800 million people and demolishing a myriad of existing trade barriers. The draft agreement says negotiations should be completed by the start of 2005 and the free trade area should start operating progressively from then.
Who is objecting and why?
The same diverse coalition that derailed the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organisation meeting, including the bête noire of the French, José Bové. Its members see the Quebec summit and the FTAA as the latest battleground of ”globalisation”. They believe that more free trade will benefit rich countries and do nothing to help the poor, conserve the environment, redress minority grievances and foster education.
What difference will the summit make?
Realistically, the summit marks another step in the worldwide trend towards bigger regional trade blocs.
