‘Pakistan to continue fighting EU anti-dumping duty on its bed linen’

ISLAMABAD: Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan on Tuesday said Pakistan would continue fighting the EU’s anti-dumping duty on the country’s bed linen exports.

“We are in contact with our bed linen industry on the issue and have contacted the EU at different levels,” he told reporters at a joint press conference here with Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz held to brief the media on President Musharraf’s recent visit to Turkey and Davos. Akhtar said so far the proposed 14.1 percent duty had not been imposed, as the Anti-Dumping Committee of the European Commission (EC) could not approve it by January 15, 2004. He, however, added that the EU would keep trying to get the duty approved, while Pakistan would continue fighting against the duty at every front. Mr Akhtar also said the EU ambassador in Islamabad was also called to the Foreign Office as well as the Commerce Ministry to discuss the issue. Besides, he said, a delegation led by Commerce Secretary Kamal Afsar had also visited the EU countries as part of official level contacts to resolve the matter. —APP

Home | National