Wool Bd chairman opposes sanctions

Press, 16 April 1980, Page 3

Wool Bd chairman opposes sanctions

The chairman of the Wool Board (Mr John Clarke) remains opposed to the imposition of sanctions on wool exports to Iran. Speaking at the opening of the new $2 million woolscouring complex of Kaputone Wool Scour, Ltd, of Belfast yesterday, he said that Iran was New Zealand’s ninth biggest customer for wool. Shipments in the eight months to the end of February included 8032 tonnes of scoured wool and 135 tonnes of greasy wool. But whether Iran could retain that status must be open to some doubt, Mr Clarke said, in view of the fact that the United States Government had now called for other major countries, and particularly those of the European Economic Community, to follow its lead in imposing trade sanctions. The New Zealand Government was waiting to see how others responded before'

[ making any decision, he 1 noted, and he said he be- . lieved that it should be commended for the steady , course it had taken. ’ “I believe that sanctions . preventing exports of wool f to particular countries would I be counter-productive,” said ; Mr Clarke. “They would - merely frustrate trade to the ; disadvantage of the exporter, without achieving their ? primary purpose. ; “Wool is a freely traded international commodity and [ unless sanctions against a > particular country are truly • comprehensive and involve > all countries and trading s partners, they will be quite I ineffective. “Iran has shown in the I past its ability to obtain ' wool supplies in times of dii fficulty. “Just to surmount shipping problems we have seen ’ instances of wool’s being : shipped to northern Conti- > nental ports, such ag Hams

burg, and then off-loaded on to trucks that travelled through, western and eastern Europe and thence through Turkey to Iran,” Mr Clarke said.