 |
BANANAGATE?
(Banana Trade News Bulletin, July 1997)
US media reports have further linked the US pursuit of this case to the campaign contributions of Chiquita owner, Carl Lindner, to the two political parties. Immediately after the release of the report, the International Herald Tribune (20/3197) welcomed the "triumph for the Clinton administration and Mr. Lindner's Chiquita banana empire", quoting that "it is unusual for the trade representative's thinly staffed office to devote so much energy and resources to a case in which few, if any, U.S. jobs are at stake". "When it comes to spreading political cash around, Carl Lindner has few equals" denounced Newsweek in an article entitled "And Now, Bananagate?", whereas in the words of New York Times' columnist, Bob Herbert, Washington was "egged on" to make that complaint by Carl Lindner. Both Newsweek and Time Magazine published in their April issue complete reports of the generous donations of Chiquita's Chief Executive Officer to Washington, amounting all together to more than US$1.5 million to both the Republicans and the Democrats in the 1996 presidential campaign. Lindner was also one of the first exclusive guests invited to stay by Clinton in the White House's Lincoln bedroom; widely considered to be a big "Thank you" for the donations made to Clinton's 1996 Presidential campaign. Lindner has refused to comment on the apparent coincidences, and the White House rejected any suggestion of a connection between its actions against the EU banana regime and Lindner's generosity. Indeed, the Clinton Administration's top trade official, Charlene Barshevsky, is reported as saying that Lindner did not want the matter taken to the WTO, he simply wanted the US to take sanctions. The US trade representative, Mickey Kantor, scored a political point during an interview for Newsweek by making it clear that "he didn't slip up in the banana case"! |