February 27, 2007

South Korea, U.S. to hold high-level FTA, beef talks next week

South Korea and the United States will hold high-level agriculture talks in Washington next week to discuss issues related to beef and free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, a South Korean government official said on February 26.

Lee Chang-buhm, spokesman for South Korea Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said FTA talks are to be centred on South Korea's stance to allow waivers for sensitive goods that could seriously hurt local growers. Washington has maintained a position that there should be no exceptions in the trade agreement in order to facilitate free movement of goods and services.

In the beef talks, the official speculated the two sides would address South Korea's insistence on continuing screening for bone chips in all beef imports, and Washington's view that import restrictions should be lifted for types of bone-in beef that are not classified as specified risk materials (SRMs). SRMs refer to brains, head bones, spinal cord marrow, backbones and intestine parts that pose the highest risk of transmitting mad cow disease to humans.

The meeting in Washington just before the eighth round of FTA talks, scheduled to be held March 8 to 12 in Seoul, is expected to allow the two sides to make proposals that could bridge gaps.

South Korea's negotiators will be led by Min Dong-seok, assistant minister for agriculture and forestry, while Washington is expected to send Richard Crowder, chief agricultural negotiator at the U.S. Trade Representative.