Number 46, September 24, 1992

NATIONAL POLITICS

- Brazil's supreme court approves open, roll-call vote on impeachment.

The Federal Supreme Tribunal (STF), by an 8 to 1 decision, voted to approve the taking of an open, roll-call vote in Congress on the petition for the impeachment of President Fernando Collor de Mello.

In a 6 to 3 vote, the judges rejected President Collor's petition for more time for his defense before the impeachment vote is held. The president had been given 10 sessions of Congress to make his defense, but presented nothing during that time.

Both judicial votes uphold the internal regimen and calender which Congress had decided regarding the impeachment process. The vote on impeachment will occur, as scheduled, on September 20 and 30.

As the judges cast their votes, hundreds of people gathered outside the supreme court building. The crowd included many children, who, with their banners and signs, reminded the judges that their decision was fundamental to the affirmation of democracy in Brazil.

- Congressional commission plays key role in next step of impeachment process.

Initially seen as playing a minor part in the impeachment process, the Special Commission of the House of Deputies-which will recommend to the full House on whether or not to open the process of impeachment of the president-has assumed a fundamental role. Members of opposition parties make up the majority of this commission, thus making it very difficult for Collor's supporters to delay the impeachment process.

The commission votes today on the legal opinion reported by its chair, Federal Deputy Nelson Jobim. Congress will debate the commission's recommendation on September 26-28. During this time, President Collor may present an oral defense before Congress.

- Strikes, work stoppages planned on day of impeachment vote.

The CUT labor union is preparing for a general strike throughout the country on the day of the congressional vote on the impeachment petition, probably to be held on September 30. Also on that day, the Movement for Ethics in Politics and the Democratic Movement Against Impunity will promote a "national day of civic paralyzation " in favor of impeachment.

- President's mother continues in serious condition.

Leda Collor de Mello, the mother of President Collor, remains in serious condition at the Clinica Pro-Cardiaca in Rio de Janeiro. She suffered a fourth cardiac arrest on September 20. That same day, the president participated in a Mass promoted by the Charismatic Renewal Movement. The Mass turned into a political act in favor of Collor.

CHURCHES

- Southern bishops release statement on ethics and citizenship.

In a statement entitled "For Ethics and Citizenship", Brazil's southern state bishops said that the congressional investigation of the Paulo Cesar Farias affair presented only "a part of a gigantic system of corruption" in Brazilian public administration. The statement, issued by the South-3 Region of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil(CNBB), in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, declared that "we cannot permit that the euphoria of the present moment make us embark on the illusion that -with the president impeached- the country will be on the road to peace and social justice once and for all." The bishops emphasized that the current mobilization of society for impeachment is just the beginning.

- Boff speaks out on external debt, church.

In interviews given during his recent trip to Europe, theologian Leonardo Boff defended the transformation of the external debt of Third World countries into a fund for financing sustainable development projects. According to Boff, this action would represent "a possible and realistic" compensation for the damages suffered by the continents on the periphery -particularly South America- during 500 years of colonialism and neocolonialism.

Regarding his decision to leave the priesthood, Boff said he made the move "in order to be able to work with more liberty for the poor, against their poverty and for their liberation." He stated that the Catholic Church declares itself forcefully in favor of the option for the poor, but "Rome is afraid of the poor and afraid of losing its privileges." His leaving the priesthood was "pragmatic", and his faith in the Church "continues, despite the Church itself."

Boff received a message of solidarity from the Assembly of the People of God, which ended last week in Quito, Ecuador.

ECOLOGY

- Brazil ranks as one of the world's biggest agrotoxin users.

The economic crisis Brazil is experiencing is not reflected in the fact that the country is one of the top 5 consumers of agrotoxins in the world. The estimated consumption of agrotoxins in 1992 is 90 thousand tons.

The use of agrotoxins has been intensive since the military dictatorship implemented its policy of modernization of agriculture in the 1960s, according to Luis Fernando Amstalden, of the Brazilian Association of Agrarian Reform. This modernization is characterized by technological dependency, which benefits the large producers of agrotoxins, such as U.S-based DuPont, the British firm ICI, and Bayer, of Germany.

The power of these producers was reflected at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro this past June. Little was said at the UN conference about the sale of agricultural products which are prohibited in their country of origin.

Adilson Paschoal, a researcher with the Luiz de Queiroz Agricultural School in Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, said that Brazil imported US$500 million in agrotoxins in 1980 alone. Paschoal registered 208 deaths directly related to the use of the products between 1967 and 1979. He believes that the number may even be higher. Another effect of intensive use of agrotoxins, according to Paschoal, is the multiplication of pests resistant to chemicals - from 193 in 1958 to 593 in 1976.

The neoliberal policy of President Fernando Collor de Mello has encouraged the unbridled use of agrotoxins. One example of this policy was the drastic cut made in the budget of the federal Department of Science and Technology, which has frozen a number of projects in biological control of pests.

In the National Center for Research and Development in Agriculture, budget cuts have affected research in the biological control of the liriomyza microorganism, which damages tomato, potato, and bean crops.

- Controversial mineral reserve project is denounced.

The creation of a national reserve for the mineral niobium, as proposed by Federal Deputy Alacid Nunes, was denounced August 26 during the meeting of the Center of Environmental Sciences at the University of Amazonas. The reserve would be in the Morro dos Seis Lagos, in Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira, in the state of Amazonas. Representative of the Company of Mineral Resources Research (CPRM), Orestes Schneider, said that the creation of such a reserve would serve the interests of the American multinational Molycorp, whihc has a niobium mine in Araxa, Minas Gerais.

Schneider declared that the niobium located in the Morrodos Seis Lagos represents 98% of all the niobium on the planet - 81.5 million tons, with an estimated value of one trillion dollars. The Brazilian firm Vale do Rio Doce and Japan's Kawasaki Steel and Nippon Steel have also expressed an interest in mining the reserve.

"What the proposed Nunes bill does is revoke all the laws of the market by creating a mineral reserve in Amazonas", protested Schneider. He defended the mobilization of federal deputies from Amazonas to defeat the bill.

Dinarte Madeiro, superintendent of FUNAI (National Foundation of the Indian) expressed his concern regarding mineral exploration in indigenous areas. Tukano Benedito Machado also protested against the proposed measure, and said that all the other initiatives in that region have not brought any benefits to indegenous peoples. He argued that any mineral exploration should be approved by the people living in the affected areas.

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