Last night in Quito Ecuador, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and 33 other Western Hemisphere trade ministers were confronted by a group of 50 indigenous and campesino leaders. The demonstrators gained access to the posh hotel where the latest round of negotiations on the Free Trade Area of the Americas is being held. They read statements to the uncomfortable officials and chanted, “We don’t want to be a North American Colony.” Outside the building 2000 demonstrators voiced their support. Major solidarity demonstrations also took place in Montreal, Seattle, San Francisco and other cities throughout the Americas.

Guests:

• Wilem Trujillo, leader of CONFEUNASSC Campesino Coalition.
• Alixa Garcia, Anti-FTAA Activist.
• Manuel Salgado Tamayo, Ecuadorian writer, scholar and former vice-president of the Socialist Party of Ecuador. He has written extensively on the economics and militarization of the Andean region.

Related links:

• Ecuador Indy Media Center
• Amazon Watch
• Stop FTAA
• Hemispheric Campaign Against the FTAA