NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #1/NN_1993_1.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/9828

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From: Kai Mander <[e-mail]>
Subject: TRADE.NEWS 1-6-93
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TRADE NEWS BULLETIN  Volume II  Number 3
Wednesday, January 6, 1993
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NAFTA News Summary
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CLINTON: SALINAS MEETING WON'T BE NEGOTIATING SESSION

President-elect Bill Clinton will not bring nominated U.S. Trade
Representative Mickey Kantor nor Secretary of State designate
Warren Christopher to Austin, Texas Friday for a meeting with
Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari.  "We're not going to get
into a long, detailed discussion of NAFTA or anything like that,"
Clinton said.  "We want to get to know each other."

Salinas appears eager to use Clinton's popularity in Congress to push
through an agreement soon after Clinton's inauguration January 20.
The Mexican government has recently put forth environmental and
labor proposals in hopes they will assuage some of Clinton's stated
concerns about NAFTA.

But the plans, including one designating funds to clean up the
Mexican side of the 2,000-mile U.S. border, call for financial
assistance from the U.S.  "The message is going to be: If you want
more in NAFTA that costs more, you have to foot the bill," said Jorge
Bustamante, a university president who advised Mexican negotiators.

Labor issues will be another trouble area for the two leaders.  Clinton
is scheduled to meet with U.S. automakers in Little Rock, Arkansas
today.  Clinton's Communications Director George Stephanopoulos said
NAFTA was expected to be discussed at the meeting.  Most unions
oppose NAFTA because it could encourage U.S. companies to move to
Mexico in search of cheap wages.

Source: Dianna Solis, "When Clinton Meets Mexico's Salinas, Agendas
on Free Trade Might Not Mesh," WALL STREET JOURNAL, January 6,
1993, p. A4; Michael K. Frisby, "Clinton Meets U.S. Auto Makers
Today to Discuss Range of Industry's Issues," WALL STREET
JOURNAL, January 6, 1993, p. A2.
_________________________________________________________
GATT News Summary
_________________________________________________________
ENVIRONMENTALISTS GAINING IN GATT, MAGAZINE SAYS

A recent article in the ECONOMIST contends environmentalists are
gaining power in GATT negotiations and that the trend will increase
when Al Gore takes over as Vice-President of the United States. The
magazine, a strong supporter of liberalized trade, says the troubles
negotiators have had finalizing the Uruguay Round will be magnified
because "greenery will become a cloak for more traditional kinds of
protectionism, in industry and agriculture."

The article argues that in order to complete a GATT agreement, free-
traders must "emphasize their own concern for the environment" by
arguing three strong points: free trade often leads to stronger
environmental policies;  it is often appropriate for developing
countries to have lower environmental standards than developed
nations; and freer trade will decrease the use of the world's
resources.

Source: "Don't Green the GATT," THE ECONOMIST, December 26-
January 8, 1993, p. 15.
_________________________________________________________
Other Trade News

ASEAN COUNTRIES RELEASE DETAILS OF TRADE ACCORD

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
recently offered the first substantive glimpse of the details of their
free trade agreement.  Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Brunei released respective lists of some
3,600 products to be excluded, leading some analysts to speculate the
countries are not prepared to take the necessary steps to establish an
ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA).

What are they going to be trading that they don't (all produce) in
common," asked Robert Broadfoot of Hong Kong's Political and
Economic Risk Consultancy Group.  "I wish I could be more
optimistic."

Source: Mark Magnier, "ASEAN Nations Detail Products to be Excluded
from Accord," JOURNAL OF COMMERCE, December 24, 1992, p. 3A.
_________________________________________________________
Resources:

1.  ON GUARD FOR THEE: AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE FREE
TRADE AGREEMENT, by Marjorie Montgomery Baker, is a Canadian
analysis of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.  Originally
published in 1988 by Voyageur Publishing, 82 Frontenac Street, Hull,
Quebec, Canada.  Tel: [phone].
_________________________________________________________
Other On-line Conferences:

trade.strategy - a discussion of trade issues
trade.library - a repository of trade information
eai.news - a news summary of Latin American trade topics
susag.news - a news summary of sustainable agriculture issues

Produced by:
Kai Mander, The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
1313 Fifth Street SE, Suite #303
Minneapolis, MN 55414-1546 USA
Telephone:[phone] Fax:[phone] E-
Mail:[e-mail]
_________________________________________________________