Day 241 - 26 Apr 96 - Page 50
1 B. Hecht, Professor, Associate Director for Research, UCLA
2 Centre for Latin America studies. Dated 21st February
3 1996".
4
5 MR. MORRIS: If I can just say that I did ask her for a CV, if
6 you like, and she said that she was going to make some
7 further points, to clarify a couple of points, so as soon
8 as that is received we will ask for leave to read that
9 out. In fact, I will contact her. We were not sure
10 whether we were going to call her until very recently.
11
12 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Right. That leaves Mr. Nations. Your
13 statement from Mr. Nations appears at L2.
14
15 MR. MORRIS: There are two statements which we have. The first
16 one is about the Guatemala meat plant with what you might
17 call a CV, which I did not actually intend to read out the
18 whole CV especially as the Plaintiffs have, effectively,
19 recognised his authority. The second one is a brief
20 statement about verifying his article and making a point
21 about Conservation International as well.
22
23 What I have done is -- I did not feel entirely confident in
24 summarising his article, I have just picked out what I feel
25 are the most appropriate sections or paragraphs to read
26 out. I would like to be able to read those out.
27
28 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Then what I would like Mr. Atkinson to do is
29 refer me to the statement which the Plaintiffs have served
30 from Dr. Nations. It concerns me not whether that is
31 statement is read before you do your reading or afterwards.
32
33 MR. MORRIS: I might as well start reading.
34
35 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Just wait a moment. It is No. 45 in volume
36 14. You start your reading then.
37
38 MR. MORRIS: Yes. OK, the first statement -----
39
40 MR. JUSTICE BELL: You need not -- I have read his CV and his
41 status as an expert has been agreed by all sides, so do you
42 need to read his CV?
43
44 MR. MORRIS: No, just to say that it is a fairly extensive
45 experience. He finishes up on that statement to us which
46 is dated 19th July 1993, with his signature, the final
47 paragraph says: "The 1979 inspection of the EXGUAPAGUA
48 beef packing plant in Guatemala was part of a two-year
49 study of the impact of beef cattle ranching on the tropical
50 forests of Mexico and Central America, a project funded by
51 the interAmerican Foundation, of Rosslyn, Virginia".
52
53 Then, 15th July 1993, over the page, he writes: "To whom
54 it may concern: This letter certifies that the attached
55 photocopies of handwritten notes, each page signed by me,
56 are notes I wrote during a visit to the Exguapagua meat
57 packing plant near Guatemala City, Guatemala, on November
58 29th 1979", and that is signed by him.
59
60 At that time he lived in Virginia USA. There follows some
