[Papua New Guinea] "West not serious about free trade"

from National Nine News

Western nations are not serious about opening their economies to allow the fair trade of goods and services with developing countries, says Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Michael Somare.

Market access to developed countries was still restricted by non-tariff barriers such as prohibitive quarantine and legal requirements, he said in his opening address to the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) and European Union (EU) Council of Ministers' Meeting being held in Port Moresby this week.

Referring to negotiations over a new Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and ACP countries, Somare said the EU's requirement for countries to be World Trade Organisation (WTO) compatible in the new trading arrangement could be costly to some ACP states and undermine their fragile economies.

"Such a situation would certainly not address the fundamental objective of the ACP-EU partnership arrangement, which is to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty.

"While the WTO system is proposing greater liberalisation and globalisation through the lifting of trade barriers, it appears that developed countries are not serious in opening up their economies for fair trade of goods and services."

Somare said the new ACP-EU trading arrangement was meant to be developmental in nature, requiring substantial development assistance to enable ACP countries to integrate smoothly into the international trading system.

"So we are all surprised by the position of the European Union on this important matter and I would, therefore, urge all ACP states to take a firm, united position on this critical issue."