Brussels, 02/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - Just before the beginning of the EU/USA Summit on 2 May in Washington, the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Eurochambres) launched an appeal for a solution to the spat on steel and the implementation of the 1998 mutual recognition agreement. Eurochambres is asking the EU and USA to respect the commitments made during their Gothenburg Summit in June 2001 for sorting out disputes through co-operation. The President of Eurochambers, Christoph Leitl speaking in this connection declared that, "The EU must defend European interests robustly. It must not accept unwarranted or unjustified trade restrictions…However, the EU must defend these interests within the WTO mechanism. The European Chambers of Commerce and Industry did not support retaliatory measures which fall outside this infrastructure. Escalation of this dispute outside the confines of WTO will lead to immediate difficulties for European and US firms…enterprise is the first casualty in any trade war". Dr Leitl continues, "The EU and US administrations must also act together…Eurochambres is seeking to develop a Global Platform of business interests with Chambers of Commerce in the US, Asia and around the globe. In Antwerp, on 10 and 11 October 2002, we aim to have the leaders of these Chamber systems at our Annual Congress to discuss what practical actions we can take in favour of business".