Australia has asked to meet with U.S....

Australia has asked to meet with U.S. negotiators in Geneva next month to discuss whether the U.S. sugar program complies with international trading rules, according to U.S. trade officials.

The consultations will be held under Section 22 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which is one of the world trade body’s procedures for allowing countries to question others’ trade policies without lodging a formal complaint. The talks will take place the week of June 6, U.S. officials said.

Australia, an important sugar producer, in the past has criticized the U.S. sugar program, which maintains a support price above current market levels and restricts imports through a quota. The Reagan Administration has proposed that GATT members agree to dismantle all farm subsides and trade barriers over the next 10 years, but failed to persuade Congress to slash U.S. sugar support prices.