Tonga will not change its WTO terms of accession, says Labour Secretary [1]
Friday, February 3, 2006 - 17:54. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 20:52.
THERE will be no changes to terms that Tonga agreed to in its accession to the World Trade Organisation WTO, according to Paulo Kautoke, the Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Commerce and Industries.
Paulo said that during the six-months ratification period, which ends on July 31, 2006 the Ministry would be conducting WTO awareness workshops, to educate the people on WTO and to make them aware of what WTO would do for Tonga.
Paulo said that the recent opposition to Tonga...s WTO membership came mostly from members of the civil society. ...The local business people on the other hand appear to have a better understanding of the WTO....
He said that a few groups are opposing Tonga...s membership because the advantage of the treaty is with the industrialized countries with strong export driven economies, and for Tonga to become a member of the WTO with very little export products was not a sensible move.
Paulo disagreed and said that because a lot of these groups just came into being last year, they must attend the workshop and find out that these workshops aimed at clarifying to them that goods and trade are not the only aspects of the WTO there are many other things. ...There are services and investments, and our WTO membership negotiations were not fixed on the current situation, but a preparation for future developments to come.