/* Written 9:55 AM Aug 5, 1994 by kmander in igc:trade.news */ /* ---------- "Trade Week 8-5-94" ---------- */ Trade Week in Review and Resources Friday, August 5, 1994 Volume 3, Number 31 _________________________________________________ Headlines: Fast Track Removed From GATT Bill Nader Criticizes Kantor for Misleading Statements Philippines Concerned About GATT Western Governors Seek Protection of State Laws U.S., Canada Reach Agreement on Wheat Shipments RESOURCES _________________________________________________ GATT NEWS SUMMARY _________________________________________________ Fast Track Removed From GATT Bill By a narrow margin, the Senate Finance Committee endorsed the Uruguay Round of GATT and the World Trade Organization it will create. However, the Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee failed to consider President Clinton's request to extend "fast track" negotiating authority as part of GATT implementing legislation. Republicans and business officials objected to Clinton's request for authority to negotiate new trade agreements covering environmental and labor issues. According to Senator Bob Packwood (R-Oregon), Republicans will grant the administration fast-track authority next year as long as labor and environmental issues are left off the table. Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee continues to warn the administration to expect a fight on how to fund GATT. Several members are now working with the Agriculture Committee to soften the impact of the administration's plan to cut $1 billion from the Export Enhancement Program to help pay for GATT. The members are apparently looking for other ways to provide $1 billion for GATT. According to CONGRESSDAILY, the funding battle and other obstacles have made many lawmakers skeptical that Congress will consider GATT before the August recess. "I'm not sure we can do it before the recess," said House Speaker Tom Foley (D-Washington). Sources: Jenny Tomkins, "U.S. Congress Works on GATT But Problems Remain," REUTER, August 1, 1994; "U.S. Senate Panel Drops 'Fast Track' Renewal for Now," REUTER, August 2, 1994; Peter Behr, "Senate Panel Backs New Global Trading Rules," WASHINGTON POST, August 3, 1994; Keith Bradsher, "Panel Clears GATT Accord Without Fast-Track Proviso," NEW YORK TIMES, August 3, 1994; "GATT Bill Still Has Snags, May Wait Until September," CONGRESSDAILY, August 4, 1994. _________________________________________________ Nader Criticizes Kantor for Misleading Statements In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor, consumer advocates Ralph Nader and Lori Wallach criticize Kantor for making misleading statements about the Uruguay Round and the World Trade Organization. Nader and Wallach say misleading statements by the USTR make it "difficult for citizens, the media or Representatives and Senators to make a reasoned assessment of the WTO-GATT proposals." They ask Kantor to provide a full assessment of the agreement's impact on U.S. sovereignty. Among the 13 "erroneous statements" Nader and Wallach accuse Kantor of making are: The WTO is not much different than the existing GATT; The WTO will operate by consensus; It is very unlikely that there will be many challenges brought under the Uruguay Round agreements against state laws; and WTO dispute settlement panels do not have the power to make "decisions" or impose solutions. Source: Letter From Ralph Nader and Public Citizen's Lori Wallach to USTR Mickey Kantor Detailing 13 Erroneous Statements on the GATT Uruguay Round Made by Him and/or His Staff, August 3, 1994. _________________________________________________ Philippines Concerned About GATT The Philippines' Senate committee on agriculture and food has found that Filipino farmers will be hurt by GATT. The committee said weaknesses in the Uruguay Round text, if not corrected, "will put the Filipino farmers at the mercy of their foreign counterparts once the country is flooded with imported goods" under GATT. The committee confirmed the claims of Senate Minority Leader and Liberal Party President Wiberto E. Tanada who has said agriculture will suffer under GATT as traditional food crops such as rice and corn and traditional export crops such as sugar and coconut will be forced to compete with cheaper imports. The Philippine Agriculture Department announced last week that it will seek a revision in minimum access commitments for sugar imports under GATT. Sources: Olaf S. Giron, "Agriculture Sector Not Ready for GATT," MANILA BULLETIN, July 28, 1994; "Philippines to Revise Sugar Access Under GATT," REUTER, July 31, 1994. _________________________________________________ Western Governors Seek Protection of State Laws The Western Governors' Association (WGA) passed a resolution stating that passage of the Uruguay Round would increase "the chance that state measures will be the subject of dispute proceedings" under the WTO. The resolution asks that implementing legislation include measures permitting states to defend their laws. "The implementing legislation should not permit preemption of state laws without specific federal statutory authorization, and it should not permit private rights of action against states in any case," the resolution states. Source: "Uruguay Round of GATT," WESTERN GOVERNORS' REPORT. _________________________________________________ U.S., Canada Reach Agreement on Wheat Shipments The U.S. and Canada reached an agreement to sharply reduce shipments of Canadian wheat for one year. Sources said a tariff of $50 a ton will be imposed on exports above 1.45 million tons while a panel of U.S. and Canadian farm experts review the issue and release a report one year from now. Canadian wheat farmers denounced the decision and blamed the North American Free Trade Agreement for failing to guarantee unrestricted exports of wheat to the U.S. "We thought that with the free trade deal if we had a quality product and we could deliver on prices, we thought we could be competitive," said Frank Anthony, chair of the Canada Grains Council. U.S. wheat producers, who complained the imports drove down wheat prices, had long pushed for the limits. But U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor denied the restrictions would increase wheat prices to consumers. "We don't believe there will be any appreciable cost to consumers although the limitation of wheat imports will have a positive effect on the com petitiveness of American wheat farmers," he said. Sources: Keith Bradsher, "Wheat Pact by Canada and U.S.," NEW YORK TIMES, August 2, 1994; Robert Kozak, "Canada Grain Farmers Blame Deal on U.S. Trade Pact," REUTER, August 2, 1994. __________________________________________________ RESOURCES __________________________________________________ For copies of the following, please contact the authors or organizations listed: "The Haiti Files: Decoding the Crisis," ed. James Ridgeway, ESSENTIAL BOOKS/ AZUL EDITIONS, July 1994. 243 pages. InBook, P.O. Box 120261, East Haven, CT 06512. (800) 243-0138. $10. Includes chapters on the Haitian ruling families, the military, Jean- Bertrand Aristide, the coup and U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S. Aid Programs and "Sweatshop Development," Haitian drug trade, and the Haitian refugee question. "Summary of the European Union's Report on U.S. Barriers to Trade and Investment, 1994," CITIZENS TRADE CAMPAIGN, July 1994. 9 pages. Citizen's Trade Campaign, 1025 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20005. (202) 879-4297. $2. "Trade and the Poor: The Impact of International Trade on Developing Countries," John Madeley, INTERMEDIATE TECHNOLOGY PUBLICATIONS, 1993. 209 pages. St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010-7848. (800) 221-7945. Fax: (212) 979-8768. $39.95. "Social Clause: Workers Rights and International Trade," AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF TRADE UNIONS, July 1994. Two volumes - D No. 10/1994 and D. No. 94/1994 (about 250 pages). ACTU House, 393 Swanston Street, Melbourne 3000, Australia. (61-3) 663-5266. A collection of documents from international trade union meetings, and articles and speeches concerning international labor standards and trade policy. _________________________________________________ For more information about the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Trade Week in Review is produced by: Kai Mander Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) 1313 5th Street, SE, Suite 303 Minneapolis, MN 55414-1546 USA tel: (612) 379-5980 fax: (612) 379-5982 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________
