BC FISH EUROPE / EU, Canada fish talks restart

BRUSSELS European Union and Canadian officials restarted talks on Tuesday to resolve their fishing row despite the EU's insistence on Monday that all talks cease.

Negotiations began despite conflicting reports in the war of words across the Atlantic which had talks cancelled, high level meetings refused and diplomatic snubs claimed and denied.

The row is about rights to fish for Greenland halibut, also known as turbot, which flared on March 9 with Canada's seizure of a Spanish trawler in international waters off Newfoundland.

Discussions were due to continue on Tuesday, Canada's mission to the EU said in a statement which added that senior level Canadian officials had arrived from Ottawa to join negotiators.

But a European Commission spokesman told a news conference that any talks would be only at a technical level and would not tackle the political issues raised by Canada's seizure of the Spanish vessel Estai and the cutting of another vessel's nets last Sunday.

Commission spokesman Marco Zatterin said in reply to reporters' questions that European Fisheries Commissioner Emma Bonino had not refused to meet Canadian Fisheries Minister Brian Tobin in New York on Monday, rather the Canadian had not turned up for it.

Bonino, who was attending a United Nations conference on fishing in New York, said on Monday the 15 member European Union had unanimously decided to suspend negotiations with Canada until it stopped harassing EU fishing vessels.