SUMMIT WATCH : Heads Together

How’d they do in Houston?

One win, one loss and a tie.

The Win: an 11th-hour agreement on agriculture, the most contentious issue before the leaders of the seven major industrialized nations. The first post-Cold War economic summit concluded with a commitment among the leaders of the United States, Japan, West Germany, Italy, Britain, France and Canada to seek “substantial and gradual reductions in support and protection of agriculture.”

Sure, it’s vague in specifics, but the agreement is a step in the arduous process of phasing out farm supports and subsidies that distort world agricultural prices. Its immediate impact is to provide the impetus to resume stalled multilateral trade talks. A test of the commitment will come July 23 when negotiators for the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade meet in Geneva. President Bush deserves high marks for pushing the issue.

The Loss: The group fell short in moving President Bush, who alone among the seven wrapped himself in skepticism about global warming, to make a specific commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The President’s opposition will hurt him with the environmentalists and, if they are right, might also prove costly to the environment.

The Tie: The big seven acted to resolve the hot Soviet aid issue by agreeing to disagree. The deal allows individual countries, such as West Germany, to pursue their own Soviet aid policies. Sometimes a tie is the best of all possible outcomes.