Brussels/Washington, 13/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday in Geneva, the United States submitted a request for consultations with the European Union, on the "illegal" and "unjustified" moratorium it has been imposing on products containing genetically modified organisms for nearly five years, despite its international obligations, its own rules, the opinion expressed by its Commissioners in public and the views of its own scientific experts, announced Robert Zoellick, Trade Representative, at a Press conference in Washington with the Agriculture Secretary, Ann Veneman. This formal procedure, delayed many times due to the crisis over the Iraq, is the irreversible initial phase of the World Trade Organisation dispute settlement procedure. It is actively supported by Canada, Argentina and Egypt, and many countries such as Australia, Mexico, Chile and Peru will get involved only as third parties in this procedure, in which the United States claim commercial losses to date of several hundred million dollars. "For almost five years now, the Europeans have blocked any action concerning requests to market products containing GMOs, and we have waited patiently", declared Mr Zoellick, before affirming that the United States "did not wish to force consumers to eat food against their will", but Europe should "give them the possibility of choosing". The European Commission immediately reacted, calling the American decision "unnecessary" and "misguided".