Brussels, 28/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - Passing through Brussels, on Thursday, the US under-secretary for international trade, Grant Aldonas, confirmed Washington's commitment to enlarge and strengthen the common ground with its European partner in order to push the world trade system forward, with sights fixed on Doha where both hope to launch a new round of trade talks. This, despite the different perspectives recently illustrated by hot words over steel, aeronautics, competition and their continuing disagreement on the taxation of exporters on which there is not always caution in Washington, as in Brussels.
At the close of a series of meetings at the European Commission, mainly with the person in charge of telecommunication policy and Director General for Trade, Peter Carl, Mr Aldonas emphasised in his remarks to the press the fact that "we share points of view and perspectives, despite our differences". The current tension on the trade front is based on different approaches or "philosophy", as the Europeans say, and for the most part are truly symptomatic of the need to launch a new round, he said in substance. Returning from Russia, where he had been in recent days, Mr Aldonoas seized the opportunity to come to Brussels to discuss various issues and pursue the effort to strengthen transatlantic relations. The motive for his coming was essentially to "ensure that we have sufficient dialogue" including on matters to prevent the emergence of conflictual issues.
Mr Aldonas then commented on the following questions:
- Safe Harbour. He hoped that the new model of contract envisaged by the Europeans would take into account the alternatives proposed by the private sector, the main thing being to have the least impact possible on costs and preserve the ability to reach the aims that we share on prices.
- GE-Honeywell. An eventual Community veto against this merger project would "have practically no impact on our trade relations". He said he did not expect that relations would suffer because of this. This, he said, is a competition policy issue. In this hypothesis, he continued, this could even be a useful example to see where differences lie and a way to move forward. He said it is good to have an example to point at during eventual future discussions on the different approaches to competition policy. The process is no less satisfactory because, he said, the door is relatively open to our proposals. He added that there is no bad faith on the part of the Commission and specified that dialogue is still underway.
- Steel: Even if this affair, that is "irritating" for the European Commission, were taken to the WTO, "we would ensure that it were managed together", as the idea, he said, is still to seek to settle the issue between ourselves in so far as possible.
On the matter of taxation of US exports, Mr Aldobas said he had said absolutely nothing to Brussels. He added that "we shall try to manage this affair in the constructive manner begun last autumn by the arrangement concluded with Mr Lamy and that our obligations will be fulfilled".
The day before, Commissioner Lamy had pointed out that he was in contact with Trade Representative Roberty Zoellick, refusing with "caution" to say more until August. His American counterpart, a little less talkative than himself, consented to give several minimalist comments on this "sensitive issue by the size of the savings involved and because it concerns the taxation systems". Regarding the eventuality of an appeal against the unfavourable verdict from Geneva, Mr Zoellick pointed out that this affair will be more convincing (Ed.: himself and Mr Lamy), and that we must work together more closely to launch a new round, because such trade disputes have the potential of undermining the world trading system. He said he was delighted by discussions that the Deputy Trade Representative Peter Allgeier had had early in the week with the Director General for Trade at the European Commission, Peter Carl. Both had held a joint press conference in Geneva during which they showed the common objective shared by the Union and the United States to launch an "ambitious" trade round during the next ministerial meeting in Doha, in the autumn. Mr Allgeier noted a "growing convergence between us on questions of principle, organisation, substance and procedure. We are, he said, on the same wavelength on certain fundamental principles such as the need to have a balance agenda for the inclusion of issues that present sufficient interest for all members of the WTO.