Brussels / Washington, 23/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - A spokesman for the European Commission did not wish to comment, on Friday, on "second or third-hand" information whereby the American "carrousel" sanctions would be applied if the new EU banana regime were to take effect in July this year. The spokesman recalled that the European Commission's position on this subject is well known - namely that this kind of turning sanction is not compatible with WTO rules.
According to information from Washington, the new US representative for trade negotiations, Robert Zoellick, told EU governments that the United States could be forced to make the carrousel go round from this summer on. Mr Zoellick's spokesman refused to comment on the content of private meetings between Mr Zoellick and European officials, but it would seem that Robert Zoellick had told his European interlocutors that the Bush Administration may find it difficult to resist the pressure from the Congress on sanctions against the EU. We recall that these sanctions had been approved by the Congress last year and that they also cover the ban on imports to Europe of hormone-treated meat.
(The warnings by the new US Administration were made at a time when the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was preparing for his first meeting with George W. Bush since his election).