Come To APEC President Clinton

9 July 1999

Federated Farmers wants President Clinton to come to the APEC leaders' meeting in New Zealand in September.

Labour agricultural spokesperson Hon Jim Sutton yesterday called for President Clinton to stay away from the APEC leaders' meeting in September.

Federated Farmers president Malcolm Bailey said that Jim Sutton's support on this issue was appreciated but Federated Farmers wants President Clinton to come to New Zealand for APEC, and for APEC to be successful.

"Like Jim Sutton, we are very angry but we want President Clinton to come to New Zealand so that we can show him the error of his ways."

"We want the President to visit some New Zealand sheep farms and see for himself why we are the best lamb producers in the world and why he is so wrong to penalise our lamb exports."

"It is also very important that the APEC leaders' meeting is successful and progress made on eliminating the stupid and unfair trade barriers - such as this one just imposed - that New Zealand farmers have been made to suffer."

"Whatever farmer protests are organised, Federated Farmers wants to make sure that APEC is kept on track."

"Federated Farmers sees APEC and the World Trade Organisation as our only realistic hopes of reducing, and eventually eliminating, the unfair trade barriers that are currently costing New Zealand farmers hundreds of millions of dollars per year," concluded Mr Bailey.

ENDS

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