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US objects to sanctions in WTO anti-dumping spat
Washington, Jan 16: The United States said today it would formally object to foreign countries` plans to impose sanctions over illegal US anti-dumping rules.
Washington, Jan 16: The United States said
today it would formally object to foreign countries' plans
to impose sanctions over illegal US anti-dumping rules.
Eight world trade organization members, Brazil,
Canada, Chile, the European Union, India, Japan, Mexico and
South Korea asked the WTO for approval to impose the
sanctions.
The amount of compensation being sought was not revealed.
The disputed US legislation, named after its author Senator Robert Byrd, allows the us government to distribute proceeds from anti-dumping tariffs to American firms that complain of damage from foreign imports.
The WTO made a final ruling in January 2003 that the provision violates its rules and set a deadline of December 27, 2003 for its revision, but Washington has so far failed to comply.
"We will continue to work with Congress to comply with the WTO ruling this year," said US Trade Representative General Counsel John Veroneau.
"We appreciate the willingness of some of the complaining parties to give us additional time to accomplish this goal," he said.
"The retaliation being sought by the other complaining parties does not appear to be based on actual harm to their exports. Accordingly, we will object to their proposed retaliation, sending this matter to arbitration."
Australia, Indonesia and Thailand, the other countries that lodged a complaint with the WTO in 2002 over the Byrd amendment, had already agreed to give Washington another year, a WTO source said in Geneva.
Bureau Report
The amount of compensation being sought was not revealed.
The disputed US legislation, named after its author Senator Robert Byrd, allows the us government to distribute proceeds from anti-dumping tariffs to American firms that complain of damage from foreign imports.
The WTO made a final ruling in January 2003 that the provision violates its rules and set a deadline of December 27, 2003 for its revision, but Washington has so far failed to comply.
"We will continue to work with Congress to comply with the WTO ruling this year," said US Trade Representative General Counsel John Veroneau.
"We appreciate the willingness of some of the complaining parties to give us additional time to accomplish this goal," he said.
"The retaliation being sought by the other complaining parties does not appear to be based on actual harm to their exports. Accordingly, we will object to their proposed retaliation, sending this matter to arbitration."
Australia, Indonesia and Thailand, the other countries that lodged a complaint with the WTO in 2002 over the Byrd amendment, had already agreed to give Washington another year, a WTO source said in Geneva.
Bureau Report