On Friday, Bush will meet Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Former President Bill Clinton failed to persuade Congress to give the authority back to him, and Bush has not yet made any request. Latin American experts said that Bush, who has focused heavily on domestic issues in his first months in office, has not had time to assemble a full trade team or figure out if Congress might be willing to approve trade promotion authority. Without that authority, some nations are wary of a long negotiating process if US approval is not certain. Bush said on Tuesday that his administration was committed to free trade and he would intensify his effort to get trade promotion authority after returning from Quebec.
Lawmakers disagree over key components found in many trade pacts.
Most Democrats favor strong protection for workers and the environment in trade deals, while most Republicans argue those issues are better handled through other mechanisms. There will not be major movement on free trade at the summit, but Bush has several areas on which he wants to focus. The discussions we hold and the mandates we produce must help improve the lives of people throughout our hemisphere. You're not going to see a lot of grandiose, highfalutin initiatives with billions of dollars behind it.