The World - News from April 5, 1988

The United States has formally accepted a decision by Romania to renounce certain provisions of its most-favored-nation trade accord with Washington, the State Department said. In a surprise move in February, Romania said it no longer wanted to benefit from favorable tariffs on U.S.-bound goods. U.S. officials said the decision was prompted by American criticism of Romania’s human rights record and congressional threats to strip it of its status as a favored trading partner. The decision, effective July 3, means that all Romanian exports to the United States will face import duties of as much as 40%, compared to 3% or 4% previously.