SCOTUS to Hear Arguments in International Prisoners’ Rights Case

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in the case of Medellin v. Texas. Jose Medellin, along with other Mexican nationals, is currently awaiting capital punishment in the state of Texas. The International Court of Justice has ruled that the convictions violate the Vienna Convention, on the grounds that the prisoners had been denied their rights to have consular assistance. The Texas Attorney General has argued that the the prisoners had waived their rights. President Bush, who joined in the call for the Supreme Court to hear the case, had stated that the United States would abide by the ICJ’s decision. However, the State of Texas has argued that neither Bush nor the ICJ may trump the state’s rules of criminal procedure.

The International Herald Tribune covers the story.

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Mercosur to Open First Parliamentary Session in May

The Mercosur Parliament, which was created in December 2006, will hold its inaugural session in Montevideo, Uruguay, beginning May 7. Paraguayan senator Alfonso Gonzalez Acuña will preside over 18 representatives from the five Mercosur member nations—Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Venezuela. The Parliament will have an operational monthly budget of US $30,000 for its first year.

For more information, see here.

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South American Leaders Reach Agreement in Energy Summit

The South American energy summit on Margarita island, Venezuela, concluded yesterday with a statement from the region’s leaders on oil, natural gas, and alternative fuel use and production; energy-saving policies and measures; and the creation of a regional energy council to regulate cooperation on energy-related matters.

Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil are said to have resolved behind closed doors their conflicts over ethanol production. Brazil is the world’s leading exporter of ethanol, and Chavez has in the past objected to its negative impact on poverty and food prices. However, Chavez said at the summit that biofuel production can be consistent with an agricultural economy. He also proposed to set up 13 new oil refineries throughout Latin America to counter the region’s reliance on U.S. energy plants.

For more information, see here.

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Chavez Hosts Energy Summit, Debates Ethanol Use

South American leaders are currently in summit on the island of Margarita, Venezuela, to discuss energy issues facing the region, the most controversial of which is ethanol production. Hugo Chavez, president of the host country, has spoken out against ethanol use, saying that it would waste land and drive up food prices; meanwhile, Brazil recently entered into an agreement with the United States to increase ethanol production in developing countries throughout the Caribbean and Central America. President Nestor Kirchner of Argentina is expected to mediate the discussion. The summit will also address proposed ideas such as a continental gas pipeline project and a South American banking institution that would serve as an alternative to the IMF.

For more information, see here.

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U.S., Brazilian Industries Join Forces for Global Free Trade

U.S. and Brazilian manufacturers met in Sao Paulo on Thursday and Friday to form the Brazil-U.S. Industrial Dialogue, a private bilateral effort to promote liberal global trade policies. Representatives from the U.S. National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and Brazil’s Federation of Industries (FIESP) agreed to lobby their governments to resume the stalled WTO Doha Round talks, and hope to encourage private industries in Argentina, Canada, China, the EU, India, Japan, and South Africa to follow suit.

http://www.falkland-malvinas.com/vernoticia.do?id=10260&formato=HTML

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U.S. to File WTO Suit Against China

The Office of the United States Trade Representative today announced that, on Tuesday, it would file a case against China for deficiencies in its protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.  The U.S. also filed a second suit, seeking to eliminate distribution barriers for literary and audiovisual products.

The press release is here.

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Peru to Take Chilean Border Issue to the ICJ

The president of Peru, Alan García, announced over the weekend that the country will turn to the International Court of Justice in the Hague to resolve its maritime border controversy with Chile. Peru says that this border has never been legally set, while Chile sees as binding a pair of treaties signed by the two countries in the 1950s. President García’s announcement followed a highly charged protest near the coastal border organized by nationalist groups last Thursday.

http://www.falkland-malvinas.com/vernoticia.do?id=10223&formato=HTML

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Venezuela Succeeds to OAS Chair

The Organization of American States (OAS) inaugurated a new chairman of the Permanent Council, Ambassador Jorge Valero of Venezuela, on Wednesday in Washington. Valero’s first task upon succeeding Ambassador María del Lujan Flores of Uruguay will be to prepare for the next OAS General Assembly session, to be held in Panama City in June. The session will focus on issues of energy for sustainable development.

http://www.falkland-malvinas.com/vernoticia.do?id=10215&formato=HTML

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UN Agency Finds U.S. Failure to Protect Freedom of Collective Bargaining

According to the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE), the International Labour Organization this week called for the repeal of North Carolina General Statute § 95-98, a state law that prohibits public employee collective bargaining. The UE press release also describes an ILO finding that the United States, as a member state, failed to uphold its obligations to protect internationally-recognized rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The UE’s press release is here: http://www.ranknfile-ue.org/newsupdates/news.php?topicid=308

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Hicks Pleads Guilty

The BBC and other news sources are reporting that Guantamo Bay detainee David Hicks has pleaded guilty to providing material support for terrorism.  He is the first person to be tried under the United States’ new tribunal procedures.  Once a plea deal is reached, Hicks will serve the remainder of his sentence in Australia.

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