ID :
48601
Tue, 03/03/2009 - 08:06
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/48601
The shortlink copeid
Obama gov't to move quickly to address issues on Korea FTA: USTR
WASHINGTON, March 2 (Yonhap) -- The Barack Obama administration will move quickly to address issues related to the parliamentary approval of free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Monday.
In "President Obama's 2009 Trade Agenda," a report delivered to Congress last
week and released Monday, the USTR said the administration "will promptly, but
responsibly, address the issues surrounding the Colombia, Korea and Panama Free
Trade Agreements."
The agenda also said that the Obama administration will move "relatively quickly"
on the Panama FTA and then to the FTAs with Colombia and South Korea.
The former Bush administration had prioritized the Colombia FTA despite concerns
over alleged labor violence there, noting that Colombian goods enjoy tariff
exemptions in the U.S. market without reciprocity.
The USTR's report comes just days before a congressional hearing Thursday to
approve U.S. Trade Representative nominee Ron Kirk, former mayor of Dallas, who
will play a pivotal role in the Obama administration's handling of the pending
FTAs.
The agenda also said that the Obama administration "shall also review the
implementation of our FTAs and bilateral investment treaties (BITs) to ensure
that they advance the public interest."
"The Bush administration has left a legacy of numerous pending agreements and
negotiations," it said. "We will conduct extensive outreach and discourse with
the public on whether these agreements appropriately advance the interests of the
United States and our trading partners."
The agenda, the first of its kind since Obama's inauguration in January, comes
after a group of U.S. congressmen Friday urged the administration to move quickly
to present the pending free trade agreements as a way to help revive the slumping
U.S. economy.
In a news conference, the congressman urged the administration to "engage
aggressively in trade and that includes trade agreements," hoping the
administration soon to present the FTAs to Congress for deliberation.
The conference was attended by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), ranking member of the
Finance Committee; Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), House Ways and Means Committee
Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI).
The Obama administration has been distancing itself from the FTAs amid fears in
the Democratic Congress that they will undercut jobs in the worst recession in
decades.
South Korea's National Assembly is also delaying deliberating the Korea-U.S. FTA,
citing growing protectionist sentiments in the U.S.
While campaigning, Obama opposed ratification of what he called a "badly flawed"
free trade agreement with South Korea, citing an imbalance in auto trade. South
Korea disputes the figures, choosing to include autos produced by Hyundai in
Alabama.
At a Senate confirmation hearing last month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
proposed that South Korea "re-engage negotiations on these vital provisions of
the agreement," urging Seoul to provide "genuine improvements" in the auto and
beef markets.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
In "President Obama's 2009 Trade Agenda," a report delivered to Congress last
week and released Monday, the USTR said the administration "will promptly, but
responsibly, address the issues surrounding the Colombia, Korea and Panama Free
Trade Agreements."
The agenda also said that the Obama administration will move "relatively quickly"
on the Panama FTA and then to the FTAs with Colombia and South Korea.
The former Bush administration had prioritized the Colombia FTA despite concerns
over alleged labor violence there, noting that Colombian goods enjoy tariff
exemptions in the U.S. market without reciprocity.
The USTR's report comes just days before a congressional hearing Thursday to
approve U.S. Trade Representative nominee Ron Kirk, former mayor of Dallas, who
will play a pivotal role in the Obama administration's handling of the pending
FTAs.
The agenda also said that the Obama administration "shall also review the
implementation of our FTAs and bilateral investment treaties (BITs) to ensure
that they advance the public interest."
"The Bush administration has left a legacy of numerous pending agreements and
negotiations," it said. "We will conduct extensive outreach and discourse with
the public on whether these agreements appropriately advance the interests of the
United States and our trading partners."
The agenda, the first of its kind since Obama's inauguration in January, comes
after a group of U.S. congressmen Friday urged the administration to move quickly
to present the pending free trade agreements as a way to help revive the slumping
U.S. economy.
In a news conference, the congressman urged the administration to "engage
aggressively in trade and that includes trade agreements," hoping the
administration soon to present the FTAs to Congress for deliberation.
The conference was attended by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), ranking member of the
Finance Committee; Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), House Ways and Means Committee
Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI).
The Obama administration has been distancing itself from the FTAs amid fears in
the Democratic Congress that they will undercut jobs in the worst recession in
decades.
South Korea's National Assembly is also delaying deliberating the Korea-U.S. FTA,
citing growing protectionist sentiments in the U.S.
While campaigning, Obama opposed ratification of what he called a "badly flawed"
free trade agreement with South Korea, citing an imbalance in auto trade. South
Korea disputes the figures, choosing to include autos produced by Hyundai in
Alabama.
At a Senate confirmation hearing last month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
proposed that South Korea "re-engage negotiations on these vital provisions of
the agreement," urging Seoul to provide "genuine improvements" in the auto and
beef markets.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)