It's difficult to hold a dignified press conference, if you are the U.S. delegation

Our people are back from the action at the US press conference. It was a success - our action, not the press conference.

A Greenpeace activist delivers maize to the U.S. delegation as they try to hold a press conference September 11. photo courtesy of cancun.mediosindependientes.org

When you are taking on the rest of the world on agriculture, it is hard to hold a dignified press conference. Soon after the conference started in the packed room in the heart of the Convention Centre, the executive director of Greenpeace Mexico, Alejandro Calvillo, rose to read a statement about the maize we were delivering to the two bewildered speakers. You can read the statement below. Two other Greenpeace activists stood in front of the speakers at the front and presented them with the maize kernels. The speakers eventually recovered their wits enough to say that they would only take questions from journalists.

Security did not stop our three activists, and they moved outside to speak to the press.

Later in the conference, another NGO stood up in support of farmers. Then things got weird. One journalist started shouting at the top of his lungs "GET OUT!" at the woman standing silently at the front of the room, holding a sign.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! " he bellowed. "STAY!" shouted another.

Then the large individual urging exit from the room turned around and enquired if the other gentleman would like to continue negotiations outside. "Sure", replied the second "let's go. Two old men." At this point, I suspect the ridiculousness of the situation dawned on the first gentleman, who relaxed visibly. You can see the whole bizarre situation on tape at cancun.mediosindependientes.org

Statement at U.S. press conference by Alejandro Calvillo,
Executive Director of Greenpeace Mexico

"I´m Alejandro Calvillo, Executive director of Greenpeace Mexico.

I would like to announce to the United States Government that today the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety enters into legal force. This is a tool that all the governments should use to protect their consumers, producers and biodiversity.

In Mexico we want to protect our corn, our fields, our livelihood from the transgenic contamination imposed by GMO corn from the US, from Monsanto. We are the center of origin of maize. This is the maize we want, mexican maize, a commmon good for mexicans."

Posted by EricS at September 11, 2003 04:04 PM