PORT VILA (Pacnews) —The Vanuatu government has called for an urgent meeting between Melanesian Spearhead Group countries before the end of the month to discuss an urgent request by the Solomon Islands government to be temporarily suspended from the MSG Trade Agreement.
Vanuatu Task Force Chairman Jean Sese said the request could have an adverse effect on the other states.
But Fiji and Papua New Guinea have responded positively to the request saying “in the spirit of MSG, both countries are willing to help Solomon Islands.”
Pacnews was told that a diplomatic note sent to MSG countries requested members to agree to a temporary waiver or a three-year suspension from the trade agreement to help the Solomon Islands economy to recover.
Solomon Islands believe the trade agreement is unfair to the country’s manufacturing sector.
A Cabinet paper is believed to have said that the agreement is so “unbalanced” that Solomon Islands imports $4.45 million from MSG countries, compared to only about $11,203 worth of exports.
