WikiLeaks: US targets EU over (Monsanto) GM crops

[sabra]

Source: Guardian UK

US embassy cable recommends drawing up list of countries for 'retaliation' over opposition to genetic modification

The US embassy in Paris advised Washington to start a military-style trade war against any European Union country which opposed genetically modified (GM) crops, newly released WikiLeaks cables show.

In response to moves by France to ban a Monsanto GM corn variety in late 2007, the ambassador, Craig Stapleton, a friend and business partner of former US president George Bush, asked Washington to penalise the EU and particularly countries which did not support the use of GM crops.

"Country team Paris recommends that we calibrate a target retaliation list that causes some pain across the EU since this is a collective responsibility, but that also focuses in part on the worst culprits.

"The list should be measured rather than vicious and must be sustainable over the long term, since we should not expect an early victory. Moving to retaliation will make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices," said Stapleton, who with Bush co-owned the St Louis-based Texas Rangers baseball team in the 1990s.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/03/wikileaks-us-eu-gm-crops

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Wow....

Gets more ominous every day.
They want to control...EVERYTHING.
Everywhere.

How does a mind THINK like that???

[Arctic Dave]

3. How does a mind think like that? Easy. Greed Uber Allies.

[xocet]

2. K & R n/t

[DeSwiss]

4. K&R

[JDPriestly]

5. Our diplomatic corps should represent the interests of the American people,

not those of specific companies. This is way, way, way unacceptable.

Imagine that the US did this for your mom and pop manufacturer down the street -- not possible.

This means that a business like Monsanto is getting preferentially treatment by our government. Are all businesses getting equal treatment by our government?

[gratuitous]

6. What do you mean?

Aren't the interests of a large corporation like Monsanto exactly the interests of the American people? What's good for Monsanto is good for America! Monsanto is a citizen, too - it just can't vote (yet). Which is why it needs to buy access to the government, and have the government apparatus work on its behalf. You can only go so far with economic bullying; you can go much further to advance your interests with economic bullying and the unspoken threat of nuclear weapons.

[truedelphi]

7. France is high on the Monsanto and Big Pharma list of nations that

need to experience some clamps on their media.

France is a nation with 80 million plus (in terms of population.)

Only five million flu shots were administered there last year, because so far the French media is not owned by the Big Pharmaceutical companies. And a few excellent popular movies also exposed some unpleasant truths about vaccines.

Also in France, there was a most excellent film about their version of Elizabeth Warren - how the woman was "promoted" out of any ability to oversee anything. You wanna take out an Elizabeth Warren - best to do it by making up a phony baloney agency (Consumer Protection Agency,perhaps?) giving the individual the fancy pants office, and making sure she is too busy christening ocean liners to have time to oversee finances.

[harvey007]

8. Monsanto's pals in D.C.

http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.php?cycle=2010&cmte=C00042069