ZAGREB, Dec 12 (Hina) - Croatian Environmental Protection and Zoning Minister Bozo Kovacevic said on Wednesday he would not respond to a recent letter by the US Embassy which said the American government would review its rights within
the World Trade Organisation if Croatia prohibited the import, production and use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and their products.
ZAGREB, Dec 12 (Hina) - Croatian Environmental Protection and
Zoning Minister Bozo Kovacevic said on Wednesday he would not
respond to a recent letter by the US Embassy which said the American
government would review its rights within the World Trade
Organisation if Croatia prohibited the import, production and use
of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and their products. #L#
The letter which the US Embassy in Zagreb sent to the Ministry "is a
usual, unofficial stance, not a document," and demands no official
reaction, Kovacevic told Hina, adding the letter was not a request
nor an ultimatum.
Thus, "the ministry has not nor will it take any measures concerning
the letter," Kovacevic stressed. He added Croatia would respect the
regulations of the WTO.
The Ministry sticks by its stance that Croatian consumers must be
informed as to whether the products they are purchasing contain
GMOs, and warned about the possible effects of their usage.
Kovacevic said the prohibition of the production of GMOs did not
exclude production and usage for the needs of science and
medicine.
On November 28, the American Embassy in Zagreb sent a letter to the
Ministry stating the American government would review its rights
within the World Trade Organisation if Croatia prohibited the
import, production and use of genetically modified organisms (GMO)
and their products.
European Union countries have adopted a moratorium on GMOs,
confirming that the presence of GMOs should not be allowed on the
markets until a legal foundation was set.
(hina) lml sb