Brussels, 18/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - During his first visit to the Old World, the United States Trade Secretary, Donald L. Evans, discussed, on Thursday in Brussels, the trade agenda of the Bush Administration with Commissioner Pascal Lamy, after the statement of intention made in Paris in favour of launching a new round of multilateral negotiations next autumn in Qatar.
I was delighted to see the enthusiasm and engagement of the leaders throughout the world towards the expansion of trade because it is something that brings us together, a way of promoting not only the democratic values that we all share, but also to raise human freedoms and improve the quality of life of all, he stated after having got to know his counterparts within the various European institutions. It is important that the OECD is focused on the WTO round, he said, while qualifying as crucial the Euro-American tandem. It is to a greater extent for this reason that I am here, that Ambassador Zoellick came, that (energy) Secretary Abraham was here, that the President will come. To send a powerful message, according to which we take free trade in the world seriously and that we seriously want to play an important part in the launching of a new round in the WTO, he asserted.
His counterparts, as later before the press, Mr Evans added that the major principals that support the United States trade policy, namely: the promotion of free trade that is present on the President's agenda under the same heading as his determination to gain from Congress exclusive authority, said "fast track", to promote trade: the respect for rules - and the same rules; the defence of business interests and American workers, while notably ensuring that there are no distortions in the market. It is in the light of these principals and with "seriousness" that the Administration will position itself over the major contemporary problems, such as the greenhouse effect, which is managed by a body within the Department of Commerce (the national oceanic and atmospheric administration), he indicated. This will also be the case concerning the safeguard measures contemplated by Washington to challenge the rise of European steel sales on the American market, data protection, the invitation made by the Europeans to abstain (as they have already done) from resorting to the antidumping arsenal against the least developed countries on the planet, etc. Mr Evans raised: (1) the Kyoto Protocol: the Administration feels that "it is a fundamentally imperfect agreement from the outset, as is notably proven by the fact that it covers CO2, but not the very, very numerous other greenhouse gases. Washington's positions over this very serious problem is not yet set: the President wants to know the facts and understand science, with the idea that we should consider the aspects linked to the environment, the economy and energy together, collectively, with the aim of developing a policy that is good for people, said Mr Evans; (2) the future WTO round: this concerns a process of several years, a ten year project, which is important to push forward, by being sufficiently flexible and having the will to make sufficient compromises to achieve a framework for launching this negotiation that has to take place; (3) the tackling of trade disputes with the Union: the American approach will consist of emphasising that nobody wins unless everyone wins, and that what we have in common has more importance that our small differences, completely ordinary when the expansion of trade is great.