20 Oct 2008

Forum Secretary General suggests PICTA be re-negotiated

4:22 pm on 20 October 2008

The Pacific ACP Trade Ministers meeting being held in Fiji has been told the Pacific Islands Countries Trade Agreement, or PICTA, should be renegotiated.

The Pacnews Agency reports the suggestion is from the new secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, who opened the two-day regional trade ministerial session in Nadi this morning

Currently PICTA covers trade in goods amongst Pacific Island Countries but there has been an agreement to consider expanding the deal to include trade in services.

Mr Slade says those negotiations have fallen behind.

He says legal obstacles to the inclusion of trade in services as a protocol to the PICTA mean it might be more feasible to re-negotiate a comprehensive agreement covering both goods and services.