With NPPC's consent, President Clinton told President Zedillo in a recent meeting that the U.S. would soon publish a proposed rule on the importation of pork from the state of Yucatan. NPPC will closely monitor the situation and submit comments on the proposed rule. Given the importance of Mexico as a pork export market, supporting regionalization of the Yucatan if the science supports such a determination is clearly in the best long-term interests of U.S. producers. It is believed that there are many in the White House and the Administration who would like to close a deal with China this year prior to the April visit to the U.S. of Chinese Premiere Zhu Rongji. U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky, USTR Special Ambassador for Agriculture Peter Scher, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other high-ranking government officials have been in China negotiating.
Pork remains a top agenda item in the negotiations.
The U.S. Congress has never voted on WTO accession terms for another country. Gephardt said the purpose of his bill is to prevent negotiations from being rushed. The Task Force, comprised of 21 individuals, is charged with making recommendations to the Secretary regarding ways in which rural areas can meet Clean Air Standards for particulate matter. We want to find solutions that protect the environment, but does so without posing an economic hardship on farmers or consumers. The delegation made the recommendations in a Feb. 23 report based on a January fact-finding trip to Cuba.