KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 (Bernama) -- Japan has voiced its support for theproposed tariff reduction on Malaysian palm oil exports to be brought upat the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting in Hong Kong inDecember, Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk AhmadHusni Hanadzlah said here Friday.

He told reporters this following his meeting with a member of the HouseRepresentative of Japan, Yoshio Yatsu to discuss development in the WTOnegotiations.

The deputy minister said Yatsu, who is also chairman of the sub-committeeon the Protection of the Natural Environment of Liberal Democratic Party(LDP), stated that he would support the proposal by Malaysia on the tariffreduction.

As the ruling party in Japan, LDP, is playing its role for WTOnegotiations.

Ahmad Husni said that the meeting with his Japanese counterpart discussedmatters pertaining to the on-going WTO issues particularly on Agriculture.

"We have asked Japan to support our position with regards to issue oftariff reduction on market access which include palm oil," he said.

Malaysia's palm oil export attracted high tariff rate, especially fordownstream activities.

Ahmad Husni said that from now to December, both parties agreed to havefurther discussion and continued consultation on the matter.

Meanwhile, he said that Japan sought Malaysia's support for Japan'sposition on the need to go slow on agriculture liberalisation especiallyon sensitive products like rice.

Ahmad Husni said: "We informed Japan that our position on sensitiveproducts is basically that we want sensitive products to be limited innumber so as to protect the interest of exporting countries," he said.

"We want to see substantial improvement in market access in relating tothat," he said.

"We don't say that we support them on go slow. We give our opinion thatthey cannot protect the market forever, that is our view to them," hesaid.

In Malaysia for instance, rice is a controlled item.

Home grown rice accounted for only 60 percent of the country's totalrequirement with the balance still needed to be imported.

"But for Japan, rice is 100 percent domestic produced. So it is wellprotected, so we give our view that they should gradually open it," AhmadHusni said.

As for environmental issue, Ahmad Husni said: "We have stated to Japanthat we attach importance on environment, but not to overdo onenvironment, so that it does not impede trade growth."

Touching on the issue of illegal logging, which was part of the NonAgriculture Market Access (NAMA) issue, he said that Malaysia stressedthat the mechanism to counter the problem was already in place.

"We mentioned to Japan that illegal logging is not part of the NAMA.

"To us, illegal logging is very important in the sense that as far as ourrelationship with Indonesia for instance, we want to curb illegal loggingbased on government to government understanding and using the mechanismstructured by the government," he added.

-- BERNAMA