NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #18/NN_1992_18.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/5927

Text File | 1992-08-19 | 6.0 KB | 131 lines

Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
Path: sparky!uunet!gumby!wupost!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!daemon
From: [e-mail] (Harel Barzilai)
Subject: TRADE NEWS 8/18
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: [e-mail]
Sender: [e-mail]
Nntp-Posting-Host: pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: misc.activism.progressive on UseNet ; ACTIV-L@UMCVMB
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 03:48:34 GMT
Approved: [e-mail]
Lines: 116


 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Topic 145       TRADE.NEWS 8-18-92
kmander Updates on GATT & NAFTA Negotiations    12:26 pm  Aug 18, 1992
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


TRADE NEWS BULLETIN
Tuesday, August 18, 1992
_________________________________________________________
NAFTA News Summary
_________________________________________________________
MEXICO GRANTS GREATER ACCESS TO OIL

The Mexican government will allow greater foreign and
domestic private investment in 14 petrochemicals as part of the
North American Free Trade Agreement.  Energy was one of the
most contentious issues in the negotiations, in part because of
Mexico's constitutional ban on foreign ownership of oil.  In the
past five years, Mexico has reduced the number of basic
petrochemicals reserved for state production from 70 to the
current list of only eight.

U.S. oil companies are still disappointed, however, that Mexico's
state-owned PEMEX oil company retains the right to make 50
percent of its equipment purchases through Mexican companies
for the next eight years.  In a statement, Dale Jones, chairman of
the U.S. Petroleum Suppliers Association, said U.S. oil service
companies will benefit in the long run from NAFTA, but the
help could come too late to save many companies in the
struggling industry.  Jones said the accord prevents full access
to the Mexican market for 10 years.

Source: "Mexico Is Easing Rules On Making Petrochemicals,"
WALL STREET JOURNAL, August 18, 1992, p. A11; "NAFTA
Benefits Could Be Too Late For U.S. Oil Firms," REUTER, August
17, 1992.
_________________________________________________________
ARTICLE DESCRIBES WIDE RANGE OF NAFTA OPPONENTS

An article in Saturday's NEW YORK TIMES states that although a
wide range of groups are in opposition to NAFTA, these groups
"have yet to coalesce ... and form any unified plan of attack."

Mark A. Anderson, director of the AFL-CIO's task force on trade,
said NAFTA opponents, which range from environmental and
labor groups to farmer and religious groups, have different
perspectives but "all share a common concern that the
implementation of this agreement is not going to be beneficial."
Kevin L. Kearns of the Economic Strategy Institute expects that
once the agreement is released, a "grand-scale coalition" of the
groups will begin forming.  In the article,  Lori M. Wallach of the
Citizen Trade Watch Campaign, a coalition of 60 environment,
labor and farm groups that monitor trade, says "there will be a
lot of activity" to fight NAFTA.

Source: Jonathan P. Hicks, "Pact's Opponents Cover Wide Range
of Interests," NEW YORK TIMES, August 15, 1992, p. 20.
_________________________________________________________
GATT News Summary
_________________________________________________________
U.S. COULD IMPOSE TARIFFS ON EC IMPORTS SOON

The 60-day period for compensation talks between the U.S. and
EC expired today without a conclusion to the oilseeds subsidy
dispute.  The U.S. had threatened to release a list of EC imports
that face prohibitive tariffs if an agreement was not reached by
today, and the U.S. may follow through with the threat in the
next few days.  The EC made a number of offers but the U.S.
rejected them all as insufficient and inadequate for U.S. oilseeds
producers.

U.S. farm organizations and some members of Congress are
urging President George Bush to impose the duties.  Nancy
Foster of the American Soybean Association, which initiated the
complaint, said, "We are recommending that the administration
show a strong signal of resolve on this issue."  However, U.S.
importers, who will be hurt by the tariffs, are lobbying to keep
their products off the list.

Speaking at the Republican Convention in Houston, U.S. Trade
Representative Carla Hills said the Bush Administration is
prepared to finish the Uruguay Round of GATT despite some
Republican concerns that the deal would hurt Bush's chances of
re-election.  Hills said a European "willingness to deal with
agricultural issues" is the key to the Round, and that movement
in the talks could occur after France votes on tighter European
unity September 20.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and EC have reached a tentative "cease-fire
agreement" over U.S. exports of corn gluten feed after more
than two years of disputes and tariffs.  The compromise calls for
the EC to refund about $2 million in punitive duties collected on
U.S. corn gluten exports since January 1.  The Netherlands and
Ireland had imposed the duties, claiming the feed was not pure
corn gluten.  Under the compromise, the two sides will give
themselves until October 31 to agree on procedures to inspect
the feed content.  The dispute is outside of GATT but could still
affect the outcome of GATT negotiations.

Source: Nancy Dunne, "Bush Under Pressure In Oilseeds Row,"
FINANCIAL TIMES, August 18, 1992, p. 3; Rich Miller, "U.S.
Ready to Strike GATT Deal Despite Election," REUTER, August 17,
1992; Patricia Commins, "US, EC Reach 'Cease-Fire' Pact In
Gluten Dispute," JOURNAL OF COMMERCE, August 17, 1992, p. 1.
_________________________________________________________
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]
_________________________________________________________