Mexican partner compares world cup defeat by USA to years of unfair trading relationships

Mexican campaigner Sergio Cobo was not a happy man on hearing about his country's 2-0 defeat by the United States in the World Cup. He said it mirrored for him years of unfair trade between the two countries.

Sergio Cobo works for Fomento, a CAFOD partner organisation in Mexico. He will be speaking at a number of events at the mass lobby of Parliament, and is already familiar with the campaign from having joined the Trade Justice Parade in November.

Cobo said, "Monday's defeat is like NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) all over again. Mexico is losing out massively to the United States because of this free trade agreement. The price of locally produced goods plummeted massively because of cheap US imports. Our agricultural produce just couldn't compete with the heavily subsidised US goods. Farmers are going bust, families can no longer afford school or hospital fees, and children are going hungry. On top of all this, Mexico loses to the US side in the World Cup. I want to cry."

But despite his country's loss, he said he was looking forward immensely to today's events.

"What I expect to achieve from tomorrow's event is to encourage and support this fight for social organisations and NGOs to make one more step in our fight to change trade rules," he said.

He also thanked the thousands of people who are making great efforts to come to the mass lobby. "People in Mexico are given strength and hope and courage by your solidarity.

"Sometimes you feel as if you are fighting David against Goliath, but with external debt we made steps in the right direction. Poor people are beginning to wake. Their dignity is being recognised in other countries. It's one of the few positive signs of globalisation."

He talked of his vision of the trading system that he would like to see: "With equal rules and a neutral referee and a level playing field, like in football - that's the game we want to play. But not Mexicans versus Americans, not South versus North. But South and North together against our common enemies: hunger, violence and injustice.

"As Mother Theresa said the opposite of love is not hate but hunger. Let's fight to change the trade rules to conquer hunger and poverty."

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