Seoul to resolve beef trade spat for ratification of US FTA deal
Yonhap | Friday January 11, 2008
Seoul To Resolve Beef Trade Spat For Ratification Of Us FTA Deal
SEOUL, Jan 11 Asia Pulse — South Korea will ratchet up efforts to resolve a beef trade spat with the United States as early as possible in order to help a free trade deal signed last year between the two countries win parliamentary approval, officials said Friday.
Detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), more commonly known as mad cow disease, at a cattle farm in Washington state in December 2003 prompted South Korea to stop all imports of American beef.
Seoul partially lifted the restrictions in January 2006, allowing imports of boneless products to minimize health risks, but suspended imports last year after repeated discoveries of bone fragments in U.S. shipments.
The U.S. is demanding a full market reopening to all products, citing a finding by the World Organization for Animal Health that most American beef products are safe for exports.
The dispute has been affecting efforts by the two countries to ratify their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) signed in June.
Although not a part of the agreement, the U.S. has publicly declared they will not approve the trade deal without a full resolution of the issue.
According to officials, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade reported to President-elect Lee Myung-bak’s transition team that the government will speed up the resolution of the beef trade spat, thus pressing the U.S. Congress to ratify the trade pact.
The U.S. wants all import restrictions to be lifted, while Seoul wants to keep its age limit rule and retain the current ban on specified risk materials (SRMs). SRMs pose the greatest risk of transmitting mad cow disease to humans.
South Korea and the U.S. signed the trade pact, billed as the biggest such deal since the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, in June last year after nearly a year of sometimes acrimonious negotiations.
The agreement needs to be approved by the South Korean National Assembly and the U.S. Congress.
