Canadian FM calls for lifting of ban on beef imports before FTA talks
Yonhap News, Seoul
Canadian FM calls for lifting of ban on beef imports before FTA talks
2 May 2007
SEOUL, May 2 (Yonhap) — Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay on Wednesday called on South Korea to remove its ban on Canadian beef imports, saying it could be a stumbling block in talks for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).
"I don’t directly link the two, although it would be politically unpalatable for us to have an ongoing beef ban," the Canadian diplomat said in a press conference here.
South Korea banned Canadian beef imports in mid-2003 after a case of mad cow disease was reported in the North American country.
MacKay hoped the ban would soon be lifted, saying Foreign Minister Song Min-soon has pledged to do that while meeting with him Tuesday. "My discussions yesterday confirmed what I knew to be true."
The Canadian foreign minister said the countries are approaching a final resolution of the issue "that is going to go away very soon," adding an upcoming report by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) should "be the turning point we’ve been waiting for."
South Korea and Canada, as well as the United States, have been looking forward to the OIE report, which is widely expected to designate the two North American nations as "controlled mad cow risk" countries, allowing them to export beef upon necessary arrangements or negotiations with importing countries.
South Korea also banned beef from the U.S. in 2003 after a mad cow case was reported there. The import ban was partially lifted earlier this year, with the U.S. hoping to renegotiate the safety terms of its exports following the OIE report.
The ban on Canadian beef remains in place as over 10 mad cow cases were reported there since 2003. Only three have been reported in the United States, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Still, the Canadian minister expressed hopes that the FTA negotiations between Seoul and Ottawa can be concluded soon, saying the beef issue will not be a major obstacle to the envisioned deal.
"I don’t think there are any stumbling blocks...We’ve had 10 negotiations now in total. Let’s hope the 11th is the last," said MacKay.
The foreign minister said an FTA between the two would offer "win-win opportunities."
When asked whether his government was seeking to open an embassy in Pyongyang, the Canadian foreign minister said it is out of the question for the time being, "given the tension...exhibited by North Korea."
Currently, Canada’s ambassador to Seoul Marius Grinius doubles as the country’s top envoy to Pyongyang.
