rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (06/15/91)
/* Written 3:55 pm Jun 6, 1991 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */ /* ---------- "ECUADOR: ECOLOGISTS EJECTED FROM IN" ---------- */ Copyright Inter Press Service 1991, all rights reserved. Permission to re- print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'. Area: Environment Reference: Latin America; Agriculture ~Title: ECUADOR: ECOLOGISTS EJECTED FROM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE quito, jun 3 (ips)--a group of ecuadorian conservationists protesting against global deforestation were violently ejected from a hotel where an international conference of timber producers and consumers is being held. about 60 members of the non-government ''ecological action'' group were beaten by security guards on monday at a luxury quito hotel, under the gaze of nearly 200 delegates from 48 countries who are attending the forestry meeting. according to the conservationists, the week-long international meeting convened by the world organisation of tropical timber (oimt), is ''based on the criteria of further deforestation''. members of ''ecological action'' managed to read a manifesto criticising oimt's policies before security guards intervened with truncheons and kicked them out of the hotel. oimt was established in 1986, with sponsorship from the united nations organisation, to find ways of regulating the timber trade and plan forest conservation strategies. cesar centeno, thz u.n. representative at the oimt meeting, strongly crtiticised the actions of the hotel security guards and said he ''absolutely'' agreed with the protestors. centeno said the oimt meeting will ''not achieve anything to prevent the destruction of forests''. according to the world nature fund, in 1980 20 hectares of forest were being chopped down every minute, half of these in latin america. by 1988, 35 hectares were being kut every minute. members of indigenous and environmental groups attending the meeting as observers, say the oimt has failed to carry out its conservation objectives and is subject to the interests of timber-importing countries. (ends/ips/trd/en-hr/dc/in/cg) ---- ** End of text from cdp:reg.samerica **