![]() For much of his life, Habibi alternated between studying in the Afghan capital and returning to the battlefields of his native Maidan Wardak province, before he was rounded up and sent to the notorious Bagram prison for more than four years. Put simply, he comes off like most other 31-year-olds in Kabul, and with good reason. He speaks in quiet, measured tones even when he’s on about something he’s absolutely sure of, like the justice of the Taliban’s 20-year fight against Western occupation. The 31-year-old deputy director of economic cooperation at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs-one of the men most responsible for attracting foreign investment to a pariah state under a pile of international sanctions and opprobrium-eschews the fire and brimstone that characterize most Taliban harangues. Once he starts talking, though, a different man emerges. Physically, he looks every bit the stereotypical Taliban fighter, and he knows it. His black turban and traditional perahan tunban outfit are accessorized with an AK-47 that hangs from his shoulder. KABUL-When Hassib Habibi enters a room, it’s easy to be intimidated. ![]() Zoë Roth from the event’s organising committee drew a positive conclusion: “The high turnout at the March against Monsanto and Syngenta in Basel confirms the desire for ecological farming.Hassib Habibi (left) sits with his friend Ali Wardak, an Afghan American businessman from the same province, after meeting with other members of the government and young Afghan businessmen in Kabul on June 6. The march against Monsanto and Syngenta in Basel was supported by more than 50 organisations from Switzerland and Germany, including Basel unions, the Green Party, and environmental, agricultural and development organisations such as Greenpeace, Uniterre and SWISSAID.* “Today, we protest in solidarity with smallholders in China and the rest of the world.” “Syngenta is now Chinese but that does not mean that our resistance against the business practice of Syngenta stops now,” said Ueli Gähler from Multiwatch. Altogether, the three companies would control over 60% of the commercial seed and pesticide market. In addition to the planned acquisition of Syngenta by ChemChina and the merger of Dow and Dupont, Bayer plans to take over Monsanto. This year the main focus of the protest was the increasing market power in the agrochemical industry. Syngenta is currently caught up in legal battles over its farming of GM crops in Hawaii and is planning to sell its operations in the state. She said: “Syngenta must finally take responsibility for the health problems in Hawaii.” In front of the Syngenta headquarters, Fern Rosenstiel, an environmental scientist from Kauai, Hawaii, spoke about the use of highly toxic pesticides – pesticides that are banned in Switzerland – on Syngenta test fields in Hawaii. ![]() The demonstration ended at the Syngenta headquarters and was accompanied by street artists, musicians, and children dressed as bees. They demanded an ecological and diverse agriculture which serves food security instead of profit. Two thousand people turned out to demonstrate against toxic pesticides, GMOs, and patents on seeds. In Basel, Switzerland, the home town of the chemicals giant Syngenta, the third March Against Monsanto and Syngenta was held on Saturday. Peaceful demonstration in Basel calls for paradigm change in agriculture
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