PARIS,
Aug 7 (IslamOnline.net) - French anti-globalization activist Jose Bove
asserted Thursday, August 7, that the world anti-globalization movement
is rallying behind Arabs and the Palestinian people, dismissing as
"a scandal" the construction of the separating wall by Israel.
"The
Arab world is part and parcel of the entire world and anti-globalization
organization would not make any progress with out the help of Arab
non-governmental organizations (NGOs)," Bove told IslamOnline.net
in an exclusive interview.
"I
myself took part in the first social Middle East anti-globalization
forum almost one and a half years ago, which was held in Beirut and
served as a springboard for a collective Arab action against
globalization," the mustachioed activist said.
Bove
slammed the Israeli practices in the Palestinian territories,
particularly the ongoing construction of the separating wall.
"I
think it (the wall) torpedoes all peaceful solutions (the Mideast
conflict)," he said, adding that Israel should be forced to pull
down its wall, given that "it a scandal in the broad sense of the
word, let alone it pays no respect to the internationally-demarcated
border lines."
The
600km-long wall is expected to cut annexed east Jerusalem off from the
rest of the West Bank.
It
will eventually snake some 900 kilometers (540 miles) along the West
Bank and leave even larger swathes of its territory on the Israeli side
and could cost up to $2.2 million a kilometer or a total of $1.8 billion
dollars, even though the Israeli economy is in dire straits.
"If
we are to achieve any progress in the Middle East peace process, the
wall should be first torn down," he said.
On
the situation in Iraq, Bove said that the U.S.-led war on Iraq has thus
far proved futile, noting that the U.S. troops were coming under
resistance attacks day in and day out.
He
also urged the United Nations to play its key role in Iraq as soon as
possible, asserting in the meantime the importance of ending the
U.S.-led occupation.
'Larzac
Plateau'
 |
|
Bove
is the official spokesman for France's Confederation Paysanne
|
Bove,
who is also the official spokesman for France's Confederation Paysanne
(Farmers' Confederation), said that the bucolic anti-globalization
Larzac Plateau, which opens Friday, August 8, in southern France is
aimed at disrupting the upcoming summit of the World Trade Organization
(WTO) in the Mexican resort city of Cancun next month.
"The
meeting is aimed at helping the non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
play a crucial role in determining their own future and stand up to
multi-national corporations," Bove said.
He
said the plateau huddled together people from the four corners of the
world, who all are determined to face the hegemony of the multi-national
corporations and the rich countries.
"We
are now shouldered with the responsibility of brave the countries which
want to slam-dunk their own policies," Bove said.
Asked
whether the anti-globalization groups were signaling the return of the
leftist current, he said that such groups include ordinary people, trade
unions and syndicates and are supported by poor countries, which are
victimized by the policies of the WTO.
Larzac
Plateau is an annual meeting organized by France's Confederation
Paysanne and was named after the southern French fertile area of Larzac,
which sparked the first protests against globalization and the
devastation of green land for the sake of industrialization.
The
protests date back to 1971, when the French government decided to
establish a military barricade on the area.
The
farmers stood up to the French authorities until 1981 when late French
president Francois Mitterand backtracked on the move.
Jose
Bove gained worldwide popularity for his protests against junk food, GM
crops and globalization, which included demolishing a half-built
McDonald's restaurant.
