US Hopes for US-SKorea Trade Progress

The second-ranking U.S. diplomat said Friday he hopes a meeting next week between President Bush and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will lead to progress on a South Korean-U.S. free trade agreement.

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Associated Press

US Hopes for US-SKorea Trade Progress

By Foster Klug

11 April 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) - The second-ranking U.S. diplomat said Friday he hopes a meeting next week between President Bush and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will lead to progress on a South Korean-U.S. free trade agreement.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told an East-West Center/U.S. Asia Pacific Council conference that the House of Representatives’ apparent decision not to vote this year on a Colombian free trade agreement was "Colombia specific and did not deal with the question of Korea." He called that a "small consolation" and urged Congress to pass the South Korean deal.

Some analysts believe the lawmakers’ decision to leave a vote on Colombia until the next U.S. administration takes office in January is a troubling sign for other free trade deals. Both Democrats competing for their party’s presidential nomination, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, have expressed skepticism about the benefits of free trade agreements. John McCain, the likely Republican nominee, is more supportive.

The main sticking point in the South Korean agreement is a ban by Seoul on American beef. The United States says South Korea must lift the ban for congressional leaders in Washington to back the trade accord, which the two governments signed last year. South Korea was the third-largest foreign market for American beef before it banned imports in December 2003 over the possibility of mad cow disease that authorities believe can be dangerous to humans.
http://bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=11789

WE DON'T WANT THIS TRADE AGREEMENT EITHER!

to them? Hire mercinaries for his World Order police force?

Only Congress controls trade...with the OK from the people not some Bush diplomat or behind closed doors. This is treason.

Impeach Bush.

And why don't "we" want this trade agreement either?

South Korea is a source of cheap foreign labor:

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$24,600 (2007 est.)

Just as with China, the "concern" about US sales to S. Korea is a smoke screen. These cartels don't care whether the US sells beef or anything else to S. Korea. The corporations want the tariffs and trade restrictions lifted by the US government so that they can increase their profits on the goods that they import into the US.

they're shrewd, they found a chump to pick up the tab for their defense, and then they beat that chump in trade because they dont have the expense

smart, very smart

hey, wait a minute......WE'RE that chump!

It's pretty pretentious of him to announce intentions of the House.