JOINT PRESS RELEASE: Department Of Trade And Industry And Dr Roman Grynberg
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has today written to Dr Roman Grynberg, an employee of the Commonwealth
Secretariat, apologising for comments made in a letter dated 27`" August 2003 (the letter) from one of its senior
officers, Dr Elaine Drage, to Mr Robert Hole at the New Zealand High Commission.
Dr Drage stated in the letter that Dr Grynberg had, at the WTO Ministerial Conference held in Doha, Qatar in November
2001, gone around discouraging developing countries from agreeing to a new Trade Round and had further commented that
preaching protectionism and isolationism was inappropriate for a member of the Commonwealth Secretariat's trade staff.
Dr Drage and the DTI have accepted that this was factually wrong and that it was unfair to question Dr Grynberg's
conduct in this way. They have apologised to him for any distress or embarrassment that the letter might have caused
him.
The DTI has also clarified that it has no role whatsoever to play in respect of Dr Grynberg's employment position with
the Commonwealth Secretariat and, again, has apologised for the contrary impression given in the letter.