U.S. Warns France on Blocking Fish Exports

The United States warned Paris on Monday to stop blocking its fish exports, raising fears of a tit-for-tat strike against French wine and cheese.

The Clinton Administration says it has yet to decide what French products to attack if the fish standoff is not resolved, but wine and cheese were reported high on the list, and action was expected to come sooner rather than later.

The food fight erupted early in February when France began restricting a range of foreign fish, leaving it to rot on the docks to appease French fishermen leery of cheap imports.

“We’re not going to allow this to continue,” U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor vowed Monday.

Asked what retaliatory steps he planned, Kantor told reporters, “We have a number of ways to pursue that.”

While the fish dispute is new, it fits a long pattern of U.S.-French farm friction that runs from beef to oil seeds.

Kantor refused to say what strikes he plans. But other trade officials would not rule out the possibility that he will soon slap back well beyond the fish arena, including wine and cheese.

A U.S. industry official said American fishermen are preparing to protest in the capital--following the example of the French--and that Washington had already told Paris that the most prized of French foods might soon feel the effects.

“Retaliation is under active consideration. Both cheese and wine have been mentioned as possible targets,” an official at the National Fisheries Institute said.