From: Kai Mander <kmander%igc.apc.org@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu>
Subject: TRADE.NEWS 1-8-93
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: ?
Resent-From: "Rich Winkel" <MATHRICH@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu>
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 21:32:49 GMT



TRADE NEWS BULLETIN Volume II Number 5
Friday,  January 8,  1993
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NAFTA News Summary
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SALINAS AND CLINTON MEET TODAY

Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari and U.S, President-elect
Bill Clinton will meet in Austin, Texas today for a "get-acquainted"
meeting.  The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is
expected to dominate the discussion, but the leaders will also discuss
immigration, foreign aid, drug trafficking, extradition laws, the
Central American peace process and a proposed nuclear waste dump
in southern Texas.  Clinton's cabinet nominees and Mexican trade
negotiators will not attend the 90 minute meeting.

Although the NAFTA text has been signed by the leaders of Mexico,
the U.S. and Canada,  the final details of the agreement could change
substantially by the time the legislative bodies of the three countries
vote on ratification.  Clinton has said he will not sign NAFTA's
implementing legislation if supplemental agreements on labor and
environmental issues are not reached.  Salinas may demand the
formation of a development fund for Mexico in exchange for re-
opening negotiations.  It remains unclear how these supplemental
agreements would be linked to the existing text.

While NAFTA is expected to pass easily in the Mexican and Canadian
legislatures, the outcome in the U.S. Congress is difficult to predict.
Intense lobbying efforts are being carried out on both sides.  A press
release issued today by a number of farm, environmental and labor
organizations calls on Clinton to "Keep Campaign Promises on
NAFTA," and not sign an agreement without "adequate protection for
workers,  farmers and the environment on both sides of the border."
The release contains a quote by former Texas Agriculture
Commissioner Jim Hightower saying, "The NAFTA is so ugly it'd rot a
cantaloupe at 100 paces.  We can do better than this."  Mexican,
Canadian and American groups opposed to NAFTA will release a
document this month combining their analyses of the agreement.

Meanwhile, more than 800 U.S. companies,  consumer groups,
agriculture and trade associations sent Clinton a letter calling the
agreement "the best international commercial agreement the U.S. has
ever negotiated."

Source:  Keith Bradsher,  Clinton to Meet Today with Mexican
Leader,"  NEW YORK TIMES, Jan. 8,  1993;  Nancy Dunne, "Clinton's
First Big Challenge: Meet Salinas and Save NAFTA," FINANCIAL
TIMES, Jan. 8,  1993;  Press Release: "Coalition Tells Clinton: Keep
Campaign Promises on NAFTA,"  Jan.  8, 1993;  "Business Groups Urge
Clinton to Act on NAFTA Pact,"  REUTER,  Jan. 7,  1993;  Joseph P.
Frazer, "Salinas - Clinton Summit," AP, Jan. 7, 1993; AMERICAN
PUBLIC RADIO; "Clinton, Salinas May Discuss Proposed Nuclear Waste
Dump," UP, Jan. 7,  1993.
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GATT News Summary
__________________________________________________
U.S. PUSHING TO CUT TARIFFS

In a last ditch effort to reach some kind of a deal in the Uruguay
Round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) talks, the
Bush administration has turned its attention away from controversial
issues such as trade in services rules, and is instead trying to reach a
world-wide tariff agreement by the end of next week.  The effort
started last Saturday when U.S. Trade Representative Carla Hills  met
with new European Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan in London.  Bush
officials were scheduled to present the list of hundreds of proposed
tariff cuts to Geneva today.

Source:  Keith Bradsher,  "Push by U.S. to Cut Tariffs is Reported,"
NEW YORK TIMES,  January 8,  1993;  "Brittan, Hills Met for GATT
Talks,"  REUTER,  January 8,  1993.
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BAUCUS: CLINTON SHOULD SEEK GATT FAST TRACK

The chair of the U.S. Senate finance committee on international trade,
Max Baucus (D-Montana), said President-elect Bill Clinton should
seek renewal of "fast-track" negotiating power to continue the
current GATT negotiations.  Baucus said the renewal is necessary
because it is unlikely a GATT agreement will be reached by the time
the current authority expires in March.

Source: "U.S. Senator Sees Renewed GATT Authority," REUTER,
January 7,  1993.
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FRENCH BANK: REGIONAL TRADE BLOCKS OVER GATT

"The current GATT crisis could be the start of a fresh look at the
free-market doctrine,"  said a report published yesterday by Banque
Indosuez, a French bank.  "When each of the three main economic
zones contains such a wide range of economic situations and
comparable advantages,  one must wonder if the multilateral
approach to world trade as conceived by GATT must not now
provisionally give way to one of regional integration."   The report
said costs in terms of unemployment might not be overcome by the
benefits of a completed agreement, in part because labor is not as
mobile as merchandise.  The report said the EC-US farm deal reached
last month will go beyond the EC's common agricultural policy, but
that its impact will ease in the long-term.

Source:  "GATT Stalemate May Favor Trade Zones - Indosuez,"
REUTER, January 7,  1993.
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RESOURCES

"Rendering Rio Moot:  Trade Policy at the Earth Summit - The UNCED
Papers of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, " by Kristin
Dawkins, January 1993.  Available from:  The Institute for
Agriculture and Trade Policy, US$3.50.
__________________________________________________
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:
Hannah Holm, The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
1313 Fifth Street SE, Suite #303 Minneapolis, MN 55414-1546 USA
Tel:(612)379-5980 Fax:(612)379-5982 E-Mail:kmander@igc.org
_________________________________________________________

Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive