News entry published on: 2008-05-15 00:00:00
Pacific’s lead negotiator backs criticisms of Mandelson rudeness Radio Australia interview with the Pacific’s lead negotiator, Jo Keil, and Oxfam NZ’s Barry Coates. 23.04.08 Radio Australia Keil fully backs the Cook Island Minister’s criticisms of EC Trade Commissioner Mandelson in the EPA negotiations (see exchange of letters below) and confirms Mandelson’s tactics: - "twice in that meeting the Pacific was going to walk out on those negotiations" but "we suffered the indignity of the rudeness of Commissioner Mandelson on all the Pacific island ministers that were there" - "none of that will ever happen again to the Pacific to suffer that indignity that was forced upon us by Commissioner Mandelson" - "He was talking down upon us, just the words, the way his voice and the way he carried on - he was just being rude to the Ministers. He was rude. I don't have to describe what rudeness is, we all know what rudeness is - and he was rude." Interview extracts: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/programguide/stories/200804/s2225556.htm And Full interview that includes Coates linking the controversy over the process to the concerns raised in Oxfam’s Partnership or Powerplay report: http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/ra/podcast/pacbeat/pacbeat_onthemat_20080423.mp3