Well, I just discovered an English version *had* been posted to the
APC system also, though it seems to differ a bit from the German
version.
I present both versions below, first the one from Global 2000, and
then Roland's translation. Take your pick. Sorry for the confusion
and bother - and much thanks to Roland and Elli for their translation!
--Gary ]
!! Nachricht vom 21.11.91 weitergeleitet.
!! Ursprung : /APC/GN/ANNOUNCEMENTS
!! Ersteller : GLOBAL2000@LINK-ATU.ZER
******************************************************************************
Environmental Organisation Global 2000 Tel : (0043)-1-310 40 77
Hahngasse 15/14 (0043)-1-310 40 78
A-1090 Wien Fax : (0043)-1-310 50 23
AUSTRIA E-Mail : GLOBAL2000@LINK-ATU.ZER
******************************************************************************
Vienna, 21.11.1991
URGENT!! Action Alert!!
Concerning: Global 2000 calling for strong international support
for an austrian tropical timber import-moratorium.
Dear friends!
We, the austrian environmental organisation Global 2000, are
supporting the worldwide efforts to save the rainforest since
three years.
Now the time has come that we need strong support from all of you!
The rainforest issue has gained very much publicity the last two
months again in Austria - due to our campaign and the work from
Greenpeace-Austria and the WWF, who also started big campaigns
within the last months.
We are concentrating on the timber issue this autum and - through
various activities - got very good media coverage the last weeks.
With the support of the austrian green-party and even the
socialist party (the biggest in Austria) we are preparing a bill,
which we will move into parliament within the next weeks. The
chairman of the socialist party, Dr. Willi Fuhrmann, stated in
public at the last meeting of the socialist party, that they will
take the rainforest issue into their programm and fully support
our demand of an import-moratorium-law. Never has the political
situation been so promising as it is right now! If we can get
strong international support now, the chance to get through the
rainforest-law is very big! Still the conservatives and the
industry are heavily opposing our demands. With this bill we are
calling for a law, that implements an import-moratorium for
tropical timber, until international accepted criterias for a
sustainable yield management plus controll-mechanisms for tropical
forests.are worked out. (a so called "selective ban")
The austrian minister for environment is examining if such a law
is compatible with international law and the GATT. That s the
standard argument of the (mighty) austrian minister of ecconomic
affairs, who is/was absolutely not willing to implement measures
to protect the rainforests.This examination is a new and very
positive signal and, to have the better arguments, we would need
any information about this topic (GATT, international law, how are
they influencing/connected with an import-moratorium of tropical
timber, are there any comparable cases etc, which could help us to
convince our politicians that GATT and international law are no
obstacles to a selective ban!)
Austria and the rainforest - a short survey:
Austria is importing 30.000 tons of tropical timber each year.
This does not seem to be much , but it is still more than in
comparable countries like Finnland, Sweden, Switzerland or Norway.
It mainly comes from: Malaysia, Kamerum, Indonesia, Ghana, Brasil
and Singapur.
In 1989 we brought a memorandum ("About the responsibility and the
need for actions of the Austrian republic to save the remaining
tropical rainforests") into parliament. A parliamentary-
commission was organized and on the 5th of July 1990 parliament
passed a resolution, which demanded from the ministers of
environment an economic affairs to implement usefull measures to
forbid imports of tropical timber, that does not come from
sustainable sources.
The only measure beeing set till today is a "voluntary self-
obligation" of the austrian timber-industry wich satisfies the
minister of economic affairs till today.(It was implemented on
October, 15th 1990) It is not even worth the paper it is written
on! If it would have been a usefull measure, our imports should
have dropped to almost nothing (think about the ITTO-study that
states, that over 99% of the tropical timber comes from
destructive lumbering). But we are still importing tropical
timber.
Some good news on the other hand: Over 120 austrian communities
and several companies are not using tropical timber any more after
we had - through letters and discussions - asked them to abandon
rainforest timber.
It would be very helpful and effective if you could send support-
letters/faxes to austrian politicians, demanding for a law as
mentioned above and stating that - as Austria would be the first
country in the world to make this step - this would be a very
strong international signal for your/all the other country(ies)
fighting to save the rainforest.Thank you.
for the forests,
Oliver Korschil
rainforest-campaigner
Please send letters/faxes to
minister of economic affairs Dr. Willi Fuhrmann
Dr. Wolfgang Schuessel SPOe-chairman
Stubenring 1 Parlament, SPOe-Klub
A-1011 Vienna, Austria Dr. Karl Renner Ring 3
fax: 0043/1/7137995 A-1017 Vienna
fax: 0043/1/40110/3573
minister of environment Dr. Heinrich Neisser
Dkfm. Ruth Feldgrill-Zankel OeVP-chairman
Radetzkystr. 2 Parlament, OeVP-Klub
A-1031 Vienna, Austria Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring 3
fax: 0043/1/7138890 A-1017 Vienna
fax: 0043/1/40110/4437
chancellor Dr. Norbert Gugerbauer
Dr. Franz Vranitzky FPOe-chairman
Ballhausplatz 2 Parlament, FPOe-Klub
A-1014 Vienna, Austria Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring 3
fax: 0043/1/5350338 A-1017 Vienna
fax: 0043/1/40110/5808
Please send us copies of your letters/faxes and let us know when
you get any reactions!
A suggestion for a letter/fax:
As we know, more than a year has passed, since Austrian parliament
decided for a resolution on tropical timber imports.The measure
beeing taken was a self-obligation of the Austrian timber-
industry, which stated, that they would only import tropical
timber that comes from sustainable sources and controll their
imports themselves. As over 99% of tropical timber comes from
destructive lumbering (ITTO-study), the import into your country
should have dropped to almost nothing. But as we know Austria is
still importing approx. 30.000 tons each year. That shows, that
the self-obligation is by no means a usefull measure and we
urgently ask you to support a tropical timber import-moratorium
and do everything possible to implement a import- moratorium-law.
As Austria would be the first country in the world to set such
measures, this would be a very important signal to our country and
inestimable for our work.
(sth. like this - you probably have better ideas - go ahead and
find your own words)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Date: Mon, 9 Dec 91 05:57:10 MST
>From: lion.hsc.ucalgary.ca!leitner (Roland Leitner)
Subject: Translation of German Letter
Hi Gary,
here's the translation of the german posting. I am sending it to you as you
may decide it's applicability and whether it's still necessary. This
translation was made with the help of my partner, Elli.
******************************************************************************
Umweltschutzorganisation Global 2000 Tel : (0043)-1-310 40 77
Hahngasse 15/14 (0043)-1-310 40 78
A-1090 Wien Fax : (0043)-1-310 50 23
OeSTERREICH E-Mail :
GLOBAL2000@LINK-ATU.ZER
******************************************************************************
Vienna, 26.11.91
URGENT!
Re: Global 2000 asks for Support of an Austrian
Import Moratorium for Tropical Timber.
Dear Friends,
We, the environmental group Global 2000, have supported the worldwide efforts
to save the rain forests for the past three years. Through our campaigns, but
also those ongoing by Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund, the issue of
rain forests has moved strongly into the public arena recently. Tropical
timber and the legal means of preventing further imports of timber gained by
Raubbau (RL: There is no english word for Raubbau, from Raub = robbery, loot,
prey and Abbau = extraction; I believe it stands for practises such as
clearcutting, and its devastating destruction) are our primary focus at this
time. With the support of the Green Party and meanwhile even the SPO (Social-
Democratic Party of Austria, Austria's largest party), we have prepared a
draft bill, which we will present to parliament within the next few weeks.
The chairman of the SPO party, Dr. Willi Fuhrmann, declared himself strongly
in favour of the rainforest issue during the party's last policy convention,
and supports our demands for a law on a moratorium of imports of tropical
timber. The political situation is therefore as favourable as never before,
and with international support we may be able to succeed in our demands.
"Only" the timber industry and the conservative economic wing of the OVP
(Austrian Peoples' party, coalition partner to the SPO) don't want to support
our demand for a tropical timber moratorium (as long as the criteria for such
sustained use is still being worked on).
However, environment minister Feldgrill-Zankel (OVP) is, at the moment, still
trying to verify whether or not such a moratorium is feasible under
international law. The compatibility with GATT (General Agreement on Tarifs
and Trade) is also being examined. This is something new and we would be
grateful to you if you could give us helpful info regarding this (we need good
arguments/reasons)!
Austria and the rain forest - a short overview -
Austria imports 3000 metric tons of tropical timber yearly. This may not
appear to be much, but it is much more than comparable countries such as
Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Norway import. The rare woods come mainly
from: Malaysia, Cameroon, Indonesia, Ghana, Brazil and Singapore.
In 1989 we brought forth a memorandum ("On the Responsibility and the Trade
Demand of the Republic of Austria for the Preservation of the Remaining
Tropical Rain Forests") to the parliament. On July 5, 1990, a parliamentary
committee tabled a resolution that charged the ministries of the Environment
and Economy with the creation of suitable measures to make illegal the import
of tropical timber from raubbau. To date the only measure taken has been a
"Declaration of Self-Regulation" by the timber industry, which says that since
Oct. 15,1990, only timber from sustainably managed areas is being imported.
Since, according to a ITTO study, over 99% of all tropical wood is from
Raubbau, this would mean our imports must have come to a complete halt.
Nothing like that happened. We keep on importing happily timber from Raubbau,
and the Declaration of Self-Regulation is not worth the paper it is printed
on.
Despite all this, a few bits of "good news": In the meantime, more than 120
communities have voluntarily declined to use tropical wood, and several
companies were persuaded to stop importing such tropical timber.
It would really help our work here, and would increase pressure on the
political and business interests if you could send/fax us support letters. A
suggestion -
Dear......
We have heard that more than a year has passed since the Austrian government
passed a resolution regarding the import of tropical timber from raubbau. A
"Declaration of Self-Regulation" by the timber industry was supposed to
control imports. Accordingly, only tropical timber from sustainably managed
areas was supposedly allowed to be imported. Since over 99% of all tropical
timber comes from Raubbau (ITTO study), this would mean the Austrian imports
should have been reduced to almost zero. Since Austria still imports sizeable
amounts of rare wood, we assume that the "Declaration of Self-Regulation" does
not represent an appropriate instrument for the fulfillment of the
parliamentary resolution.
We ask you therefore most urgently to support and bring about the appropriate
legal initiatives for the creation of a Tropical Timber Import Moratorium as
demanded by the Austrian environmental groups . Austria would be the first
country in the world which would take this step. Such an import moratorium
would be a strong signal to the governments of many countries in the world
which are thinking about measures to protect the rain forests. (Something like
this, but I'm sure you can find your own (convincing) words).
Liebe Gruesse,
Oliver Korschil
Global 2000 - Regenwaldkampagne
Please send letters/faxes to:
Wirtschaftsminister Dr. Willi Fuhrmann
Dr. Wolfgang Schuessel SPOe-Klubobmann
Stubenring 1 Parlament, SPOe-Klub
A-1011 Wien Dr. Karl Renner Ring 3
fax: 0043/1/7137995 A-1017 Wien
fax: 0043/1/40110/3573
Umweltministerin Dr. Heinrich Neisser
Dkfm. Ruth Feldgrill-Zankel OeVP-Klubobmann
Radetzkystr. 2 Parlament, OeVP-Klub
A-1031 Wien Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring 3
fax: 0043/1/7138890 A-1017 Wien
fax: 0043/1/40110/4437
Bundeskanzler Dr. Norbert Gugerbauer
Dr. Franz Vranitzky FPOe-Klubobmann
Ballhausplatz 2 Parlament, FPOe-Klub
A-1014 Wien Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring 3
fax: 0043/1/5350338 A-1017 Wien
fax: 0043/1/40110/5808
Please send copies of your correspondence and responses to us.
Thank you.