European Commission suspends seal ban

A Canadian Inuit organization, the Inuit Tapiriit Kaanatam, said on its Web site Thursday the EU's General Court in Luxembourg was suspending the regulation until it ruled on the matter. The ban on importation of seal products into the 27 European Union nations was set to go into effect Friday, the EUobserver said.

Native Inuits arguing to have the ban on seal products lifted in the EU's lower court had requested an injunction. The Canadian government wants the World Trade Organization in Geneva to strike down the ban.

"The commission believes (the ban) ensures respect for all our international obligations, while at the same time responding to the concerns expressed by EU citizens," the EU said in a release Friday.

Members of Canada's Inuit communities are allowed to hunt seals for subsistence, but most commercial Canadian seal hunters stayed home in April after they couldn't find buyers for seal products.

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