Members of the UN's Education, Science And Culture Organisation, UNESCO, have voted in favour of a 'cultural diversity convention', despite claims by the US that it is "deeply flawed" and will be used by some countries to block the export of American music and movie products.
The new convention aims to allow countries to take measures to protect their own cultural industries against foreign competition. These measures would most likely mirror those instituted by France, where government makes large subsidies available to its film, music, theatre and opera industries, and where media organisations are subject to strict quotas as to how much non-French content they can air.
Of course the foreign music and movie products most likely to dominate in many countries come from the US, hence their objection to the convention. American officials argued some countries would use the convention to justify anti-competitive measures that cut consumer access to non-native cultural ventures. However the US's 28 amendments to the convention were almost unanimously rejected by UNESCO delegates.
The UK supported the convention. Our man with the vote, Timothy Craddock, told reporters he thought the convention was "clear, carefully balanced, consistent with the principles of international law and fundamental human rights" and denied that it would be misused by member states. And Tim, we're sure, knows exactly what he's talking about.