TPP negotiations stall - yet again

'Dairy a sticking point in TPP negotiations'

Observers to the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks say dairy is again one of the key sticking points as negotiators try to seal the deal

Radio NZ,

5 October, 2015

A ministerial media conference has been delayed indefinitely after already being pushed back twice.

The opening session of the ministerial talks in Atlanta.   Photo: Twitter / @USTRspox

Trade ministers, including New Zealand's Tim Groser, have been meeting for the last five days in a bid to complete a 12-nation regional trade zone that encompasses 40 percent of the global economy.

New Zealand was insisting on better dairy access to American, Canadian and Japanese markets.

Beef and Lamb New Zealand's northern American regional manager Terry Miekle was in Atlanta as the clock ticked down to a hoped-for deal. He said the countdown was on and the pressure and nerves were high.

"When you're coming down to the last hour and then the hour gets pushed out by another couple of hours, the nerves tend to rise," Mr Miekle said.

"But we're in the stakeholder area, obviously we're not with the negotiators, per se, they're a couple of levels up in the hotel as are obviously the ministers, so we don't get a huge amount of contact with our negotiators, in fact our negotiators have been working around the clock for the last five, six, seven days. It's been a phenomenal effort by all of them.

Mr Miekle said the details of what's holding up an agreement were unclear.

"It's very difficult to determine exactly what's effectively the last item standing, but all of the rumours circulating down the bottom of the hallway here are certainly that dairy is one of, if not the last, it's one of the last two - biologics and dairy. And my understanding is our minister has been working furiously throughout the night on this, as have others on the biologics issue."

Mr Miekle says no details have been released, but he understands there are no changes to the deals on New Zealand meat.

"We believe we will be getting a tariff reduction over about 15 years down to the vicinity of 9 to 10 percent and that's into the Japanese market, now that's coming of a 38.5% current tariff, but also importantly we're looking to get an open access into the US and Canadian and into the Mexican markets."

To hear Jane Kelsey on TPP negotiations 

GO HERE

Elsewhere Kim Dotcom’s case is being heard in a stacked court. Justice under this regime is impossible

Dotcom lawyers say fair hearing is impossible

Lawyers for Kim Dotcom and his co-accused are asking for their extradition hearing to be halted, saying a fair hearing is impossible at the moment.

Radio NZ,

5 October, 2015

Mr Dotcom, Mathias Ortmann, Bram van der Kolk and Finn Batato face extradition to the United States to face charges of copyright violation, money-laundering and rackeetering related to their website Megaupload.

The men's lawyers are making applications to the court today for a stay in proceedings. If a stay is granted, it would halt the case temporarily or even permanently.

Mr Ortmann and Mr van der Kolk's lawyer, Grant Illingworth, said a US forfeiture order had prevented them from paying for expert witnesses and legal advice anywhere outside New Zealand.

That overrode Hong Kong and New Zealand courts allowing them to use frozen funds to pay for their legal defence, Mr Illingworth said.

That was preventing the men from getting the legal advice they needed on American law to properly defend themselves, he said.

They said that meant they can not present their defence properly and it would be a breach of natural justice to continue the hearing.

The order had also delayed their preparation for the case, Mr Illingworth said.

Mr Illingworth earlier got into a heated exchange with Judge Nevin Dawson over the judge's own instructions to the court in a minute issued last Friday.

Mr Illingworth told Judge Dawson his meaning was not clear.

"Well, that's what my memorandum says," Judge Dawson replied.

"No, it's not what your memorandum says, sir," Mr Illingworth said.

The exchange prompted Judge Dawson to adjourn the court so he could decide whether Mr Illingworth could present the arguments he wanted to.