[asia-apec 1604] Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile on Cairns Group meeting

[APEC Monitoring Group]

Media release
Australian Minister for Trade, Mark Vaile
Wednesday, October 4, 2000
SE Asia free trade push & ag trade reform
Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, heads to Thailand and Canada today to push for
two key trade priorities.

In Chiang Mai, Thailand (Oct 4-7), Mr Vaile will attend the 5th annual talks
between ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) and Australia-New Zealand Closer
Economic Relations (CER) Ministers. The Ministers will review progress in
trade and economic cooperation, and be presented with a High Level Task
Force report into the feasibility of an AFTA-CER Free Trade Area (FTA).

"Ministers will consider the report's conclusions that a free trade
agreement, linking the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia and New Zealand, would
benefit all, and that we should work to achieve that goal."

Mr Vaile said the meeting would also provide an opportunity to discuss
regional and international economic and trade developments.

Mr Vaile then heads to Canada to chair the 21st Ministerial meeting of the
Cairns Group of agricultural fair trading nations in Banff (Oct 10-12). It
will be the first Cairns Group Ministerial meeting since the failure of the
Seattle WTO Ministerial and the start of WTO negotiations on agriculture in
January 2000.

"Cairns Group Ministers will examine progress in the negotiations, which has
seen the Group set the pace in proposing an end to export subsidies and
trade-distorting domestic support. Ministers will discuss how to take the
negotiations forward in the period before a new comprehensive trade round is
launched," Mr Vaile said.

"The meeting will include participation from the EU Agriculture
Commissioner, Franz Fischler, and Egypt's Minister for Economy and Foreign
Trade, Youssef Boutros-Ghali. I welcome the participation of Egypt, an
important developing country, and the EU, which is facing enormous pressure
to reform its agricultural policies."

Mr Vaile will also participate in a number of industry events taking place
in parallel with the Ministerial, including the Global Alliance for Sugar
Trade Reform and a conference of Canadian Agri-Food Exporters. Cairns Group
Farm Leaders, bringing together peak agricultural industry bodies from
Cairns Group countries, will meet all Cairns Group Ministers on October 12.