MSG096G/01E TRADE: U.S. to Propose NAFTA Membership for Chile

WASHINGTON, Dic 01 (IPS) - U.S. President Bill Clinton will invite Chile to join the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)currently made up of Canada, Mexico and the United Statesat the upcoming Americas Summit, according to government sources.

At the summit, to be held from Dec. 9 to 11 in Miami, Clinton will also call for a hemispheric free trade agreement.

The U.S. decision to begin negotiations with Chile may indicate a resolution of the uncertainty caused by recent obstacles to the government's trade policy.

A State Department source confirmed that Canada and Mexico were prepared to make the invitation at the Summit, even if Washington were unprepared to take the initiative.

Official sources quoted in "The Wall Street Journal" recommended that the three NAFTA members reach an agreement on the terms of Chile's membership and create a negotiating team, adding that any new member would have to comply with NAFTA's labour and environmental requirements of the agreement.

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshevsky said the United States would initiate talks with Latin American nations on an extension of the agreement to the rest of the hemisphere.

In order to do this, she said, work would have to be done to harmonise existing subregional groups such as the Southern Cone Common Market, the Andean Pact, the Central American Common Market and the Caribbean Community.

According to Barshevsky, Washington will not agree to the establishment of a timetable or deadlines for the liberalisation, as requested by some Latin American countries.

However, the United States was the leading supporter of deadlines in the negotiation of trade liberalisation with the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation agreement.

In order to begin negotiations with Chile or any other country, the U.S. government must obtain a "fast track" authorisation from Congress - meaning that the legislature would pass the proposal without modifications.

Such an authorisation would be difficult to obtain from the newly-elected Congress that will take office in January, as it will be controlled by the Republican opposition party, which seems disinclined to support the government on trade issues.

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service