ACT Welcomes WTO Development

Monday 2 Aug 2004

Ken Shirley Press Releases -- Foreign Affairs & Defence

ACT New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade Spokesman Ken Shirley today welcomed the prospect of fewer export subsides, as signalled at world trade talks in Geneva, but warned that progress towards full free trade was still some way off from becoming a reality.

"As an exporting nation - heavily dependent on primary production - New Zealand stands to benefit greatly from yesterday's development.

"Countries in the developing world are also likely to be big winners as it will be much easier to export goods such as cotton, sugar and rice to markets in North America and Europe.

"ACT New Zealand is committed to free trade among nations as it is a proven path to greater prosperity, freedom and political stability throughout the world.

"This is best illustrated by the fact that no two open and democratic trading nations have ever gone to war with each other," Mr Shirley said.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>