S. Korea, U.S. make no headway at agriculture FTA talks
The Hankyoreh, Seoul
S. Korea, U.S. make no headway at agriculture FTA talks
6 March 2007
Yonhap News. South Korea and the United States made no headway in high-level talks to resolve outstanding agricultural issues that have been a sticking point in bilateral free trade negotiations, the government said Tuesday.
Representatives from the two countries met Monday in Washington and try to narrow the gap on farm produce liberalization, a unidentified source at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said.
"Negotiators wrangled over market liberalization for ’sensitive’ South Korean agricultural produces, but were unable to reach any clear cut conclusions," the official said. He did not elaborate on details, but Seoul said items like rice must be put on the sensitive items list even if a FTA is signed. Produces on the list could be left out FTA negotiations.
Seoul and Washington want to seal a FTA by the end of the month.
"The South Korean side stressed on the need for excluding some produces, while Washington is adamant about complete market liberalization," the official said. He added Seoul is insisting on a long drawn market opening schedule, that will give local farmers time to adjust. In contrast Washington wants early market liberalization.
The key trading partners arranged the separate meeting in Washington to work out obstacles prior to the eighth round of FTA talks planned to kick off in Seoul on Thursday.
The two sides led by Assistant Agriculture Minister Min Dong-seok and Richard Crowder, chief agricultural negotiator at the U.S. Trade Representative, will also hold talks on beef import on Tuesday local time.
Seoul said it will continue to screen all U.S. beef imports for bone chips, yet made a concession on allowing individual packages that are free of fragments to be sold in the country. The U.S.
side rejected this proposal at a technical experts meeting last month. Washington want South Korea to import boned beef like ribs.
Since late October the three shipments of U.S. beef totaling 22.3 tons have been sent back because x-ray machines have found bone chips in individual packages.
Related to the lack of progress, made so far, South Korea’s Agriculture Minister Park Hong-soo told lawmakers at a parliamentary hearing, that lingering differences may not be resolved in the FTA talks planned for this week.
Government insider, meanwhile, said Seoul wants the FTA talks concluded by March 23 at the latest since this will give about a week for legal experts to examine the deal for any problems.
