A Resounding Fuck Off for American Hypocrisy in Johannesburg!

Powell repeatedly interrupted during his speech at the plenary session by delegates from U.S. and Australian environmental groups.
By ALEXANDRA ZAVIS - Associated Press Writer

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) _ Unfurling banners and shouting "Shame on Bush," dozens of activists at the World Summit heckled Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday as he defended America's record on the environment and helping the developing world. Thirteen activists were dragged from the room.

Boos from the rear of the summit's main hall repeatedly interrupted Powell's five-minute speech to an audience of 1,500 government leaders and delegates.

"The American soul has always harbored a deep desire to help people build better lives for themselves and their children," Powell said. "We have always understood that our own well-being depends on the well-being of our fellow inhabitants of this planet Earth."

The United States joined 190 other nations on the summit's last day Wednesday in adopting an action plan aimed at improving the lives of the poor and reversing the destruction of the planet.

But Washington was widely accused in 10 days of tough negotiations of shirking past commitments and trying to avoid new ones.

Government officials and activists have strongly criticized the United States for rejecting the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which seeks to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. Many countries view the accord as crucial for reversing global warming, which has been blamed for cataclysmic storms, floods and droughts.

President Bush has said the United States is taking other actions to fight climate change, but the international agreement's strictures are inappropriate and too costly for the U.S. economy.

Washington has also been hammered by some here for opposing binding targets to increase the use of solar and wind power and other renewable energy sources, and for Bush's decision not to attend.

During Powell's speech, dozens of American, Australian and other activists in the audience jeered and shouted "Shame on Bush." Some held up banners reading "Bush: People and Planet, Not Big Business."

South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who was chairing the session, banged her gavel and yelled at the hecklers to stop. Security forcibly removed 13 people from the hall.

Powell looked annoyed, answering back at one point: "I have now heard you," before going on.

The heckling started when Powell criticized Zimbabwe for pursuing land reform policies that have exacerbated the food crisis there and pushed "millions of people to the brink of starvation." The comments brought some cheers from the audience as well.

He also criticized Zambia, which is also facing widespread hunger, for rejecting genetically engineered corn that Americans eat every day.

However, much of his speech focused on America's commitment to the developing world and the environment.

"We have reaffirmed the principle that sound economic management, investment in people and responsible stewardship of our environment are crucial for development," he said.

Powell also repeated the U.S. explanation for opposing specific targets in the summit's action plan, saying projects were more important than paper agreements.

Summit Secretary-General Nitin Desai said he understood the concerns of the protesters but felt the main hall was not the right place to express them.

"The United States was very engaged in this conference," Desai said, noting the $2.4 billion America has committed to programs aimed at addressing the summit's goals.

Later on, Powell said the heckling didn't bother him and that many of the leaders he met on the sidelines of the summit were supportive of the U.S. proposals.

"Hecklers always get attention. I was more impressed by the reaction I got from my fellow ministers," Powell said. "The United States is very proud of the record we brought to this summit."

Many activists said they were disappointed with Powell's speech.

American officials "say they are committed to sustainable development, but at the same time have been so obstructionist (during) the process," said Leslie Fields, an official with Friends of the Earth. "I really think he's in another world on this."

The conclusion of the summit was delayed by a couple of hours as delegates negotiated the wording of a political declaration to accompany the plan. "We declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life and to future generations," it said.

Commitments to focus attention on issues including foreign occupation, terrorism and HIV were added at the 11th hour before the declaration was adopted with applause.

The 10-day summit was envisaged as a landmark opportunity to refocus the world's attention on the plight of the poor and the destruction of the environment.

"Sustainable development is firmly back on the agenda," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. "We realize we need to maintain that delicate balance between development and the environment."

But many activists slammed the summit's final agreement as inadequate.

The 70-odd page document is intended to turn commitments made 10 years ago at the Rio Earth Summit into reality.

While there were a few achievements _ mainly on protecting fisheries, promoting corporate accountability and bringing sanitation to the poor _ activists charged that much of the summit was a desperate fight to stop governments from weakening already existing agreements.

"We're running on a treadmill. We are running just as fast as we can to prevent ourselves from moving backward," said Andrew Deutz, an official with the World Conservation Union, or IUCN. "It's a missed opportunity."

Annan warned against expecting "conferences like this to bring miracles." He said governments, businesses and other groups had agreed on "an impressive range" of commitments and actions "that will make a real difference for people in all regions of the world."