October 12, 1999
Geneva - New agreements on opening international trade will have to include provisions to protect workers and the environment, the U.S. deputy commerce secretary said yesterday. Robert Mallett told reporters he doesn't think the U.S. Congress will accept any new laws which fail to take the two issues into account. "We have got to have that kind of conversation, and we have got to demand certain levels of protection." Mallett said. "The thing is to raise everyone's standards, to raise everyone's dignity."
Members of the World Trade Organization will begin a new round of free trade talks, covering areas including agriculture and services, at a ministerial conference in Seattle Nov.30-Dec.3. Developing countries oppose discussions on labor standards or the environment because they believe developed countries are stressing the issue in order to protect their own markets from cheap imports.
Mallett said an "honest dialogue" with developing countries is needed. "We have to convince them that raising working conditions and protecting the environment in the long run are sound economic decisions for their own economies," he said. Incentives to agree might include giving poorer nations a longer period of time to comply with new WTO agreements, he said.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C íŸ 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
