THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1987
-
6
GATT NATIONS ATTACK U.S. TEXTILE BILL
******
OPPOSITION TO THE U.S. TEXTILE AND APPAREL TRADE ACT OF 1987 HAS BEEN VOICED AT THE GATT COUNCIL MEETING IN GENEVA THIS WEEK BY HONG KONG, INDONESIA (WHICH SPOKE ON BEHALF OF THE ASEAN NATIONS) TURKEY, URUGUAY, PAKISTAN, BRAZIL, INDIA AND YUGOSLAVIA.
HONG KONG'S PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO GATT, MR MICHAEL CARTLAND, TOLD THE COUNCIL: +THIS BLATANTLY PROTECTIONIST BILL IS CLAIMED BY ITS SPONSORS TO BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 19 OF THE GATT AND IT IS ALREADY GAINING SUPPORT IN CONGRESS UNDER THE CLAIM THAT IT IS A MORE REASONABLE AND MODERATE MEASURE THAN THE JENKINS BILL ON WHICH THE PRESIDENTIAL VETO WAS SO NARROWLY SUSTAINED LAST YEAR.
+IN FACT, THERE IS ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT THE BILL WHICH COULD BE REGARDED AS IN ANY WAY CONSISTENT WITH EITHER THE GATT OR THE MULTI-FIBRE ARRANGEMENT.+
AFTER REVIEWING THE SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS OF THE BILL FOR WORLD TRADE MR CARTLAND WENT ON: +THIS IS NOT A BILL PROPOSED OR SUPPORTED BY THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION. INDEED, THE ADMINISTRATION DID ITSELF LAST YEAR VETO THE JENKINS BILL, AN EQUALLY DANGEROUS PIECE OF LEGISLATION AND HAS ALSO THIS YEAR INTRODUCED A GENERIC TRADE BILL DESIGNED TO PROMOTE U.S. COMPETITIVITY AND NOT TO PROMOTE SECTORAL PROTECTION.
+OF COURSE WE SHOULD ALL WISH THE ADMINISTRATION CONTINUED SUCCESS IN THIS DIRECTION BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE SHOULD ALL BE AWARE OF THE DANGERS POSED BY A MEASURE OF THIS NATURE.
+THIS IS NOT JUST THE DANGER THAT THE BILL MIGHT BE ENACTED BUT ALSO THE DANGER THAT IT MIGHT NOT AND THAT SOME PRICE IN TERMS OF PROMISES TO TAKE SOME OTHER TYPE OF PROTECTIVE ACTION ON TEXTILES MIGHT BE EXACTED.
+SUCH PROMISES HAVE A WAY OF HAUNTING THE U.S. IMPORT MARKET FOR TEXTILES, INDEED ONE PROMISE THAT DATES FROM THE RUN-UP TO THE ELECTION OF THE PRESENT PRESIDENT IS IN FACT REFLECTED IN THIS BILL -- THAT FUTURE IMPORT GROWTH SHOULD BE RESTRICTED TO THE LEVEL OF GROWTH IN THE DOMESTIC MARKET AS PERCEIVED BY THE DOMESTIC INDUSTRY-ONE PER CENT.
+THE MOST DANGEROUS ASPECT OF THIS BILL IS THAT IT IS BEING MISREPRESENTED AS BEING GATT CONSISTENT. I BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THIS BODY SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE TRUE NATURE OF THIS PROPOSED LEGISLATION AND OF THE THREAT IT POSES BOTH FOR THE GATT AND THE URUGUAY ROUND.+
17