U.S., 3 Major Trading Partners Seek New Talks to Cut Barriers

Trade ministers from the United States and its three major trading partners concluded a mini-summit here Saturday by announcing agreement to propose an ambitious agenda of issues and a new round of international trade negotiations aimed at reducing world trade barriers.

Ministers from the United States, Canada, Japan and the European Communities agreed that new rules should be adopted covering international trade in natural resources and investment.

They also agreed on the need for greater regulation of quotas and other non-tariff barriers and more protections against pirating of intellectual property.

In addition, they agreed on the need to develop new rules governing international trade disputes and agreed on the need to roll back or halt new protectionist measures which might be implemented while the negotiations are in progress.

Agenda for GATT Talks

The ministers hope these and other issues can be included in a possible new round of trade negotiations under the auspices of the 90-nation General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

The United States and its major trading allies hope that the new round will lead to further liberalization of world trade and head off growing protectionism worldwide. Such a new round, tentatively agreed to last fall, could take years to complete.

“There is a definite consensus”that these issues should be discussed said Willy deClerq, vice president of external relations for the Common Market.

“We made significant progress” added Clayton Yeutter, the U.S. trade representative, who headed the U.S. delegation at the three-day meeting at the Hotel del Coronado.

Agreement on these major agenda items is seen as a major step because these trading partners have many differences on other issues such as trade in agriculture and other products. The agreement among these nations also will represent a powerful force when the trade ministers of all 90-member nations of GATT meet in Geneva beginning Jan. 27 to begin formal development of an agenda for the new GATT round. This round could begin this fall if formal approval by all members is reached.

Always Excluded

Service industries have never been included under the jurisdiction of GATT in its 38-year history.

To win approval by the less-developed nations of some of these agenda items, the trade ministers agreed that industrialized nations would have to offer some trade-offs. These would include allowing the less-developed nations greater access for their exports into markets of industrialized nations.

The meeting here was one of several informal meetings called the Quadrilateral Meeting of Trade Ministers, held by the four trading partners since 1982. Japan’s delegation was headed by Michio Watanabe, minister of international trade and industry for the Asian nation. Canada’s delegation was headed by James Kelleher, that nation’s minister for international trade.