US To Block UK Plan To Slow Illegal Tropical Logging, Leak Reveals

A secret US plan to wreck Tony Blair's G8 initiative combating illegal logging in the world's threatened rainforests has been revealed in a State Department memo leaked to the BBC's Newsnight programme.

Mr Blair wants G8 environment ministers meeting in Derby this week to make rules insisting that all timber bought by official bodies in rich nations comes from properly managed forests. The UK was prompted to start the initiative after Indonesian government ministers said corruption in their country was so rampant that they did not have the power to tackle the supply of timber from the criminal gangs pillaging the forests. They urged rich nations to reduce the demand for cheap illegal wood.

But powerful industry lobbyists in the US have resisted moves to certify that timber is legitimately produced. And the leaked State Department memo shows that the US government will refuse to sign up to the Blair initiative. This will be a major disappointment to the UK Government. And even more damaging for the transatlantic alliance is the revelation in the memo that the head of forest policy in the State Department, Stephanie Caswell, drafted a strategy in January to work with Canada to stop imposing restrictions on timber purchasing and to lobby Russia and Canada to vote against the scheme. A State Department spokesman confirmed that the paper was genuine but insisted that it was never formally accepted as US policy. He said the US had reservations about proposals for new rules on timber procurement in America but insisted in this week's negotiations the US would allow other G8 partners to decide whether to support Mr Blair's scheme.

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Other observers feel the State Department position is driven more by free-market ideology. But RJ Smith, of the right-wing Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington DC, said: "I think the US views this as a way of moving away from free trade and moving into association with lots of the international NGOs that are trying to have a sort of green trade."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/4351863.stm

have I told you how much I HATE these bastards?

What a way to start the morning. WTF, it's good to have an edge.