April 3, 2007

US senator threatens to block South Korea deal over unclear beef trade
 

A senior US lawmaker threatened to block the free trade agreements with South Korea just hours after it was sealed on Monday, saying US negotiators failed to ensure sufficient access for US beef exports.

Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement that the outcome of the deal has been unacceptable and that he will not allow the agreements to move through the Senate unless Korea completely lifts its ban on US beef.

The strong remarks from Baucus and other members of Congress could endanger the deal which officials wrapped up after a marathon negotiating session in Seoul.

Baucus, a Democrat from the cattle state Montana, said South Korea must open its markets to all beef exports, including meat from animals of any age, both bone-in and boneless.

The senator has been a harsh critic of Korean officials' decision to reject three US beef shipments since late last year that contained trace bone chips.

That dispute was not formally part of the negotiating agenda but became an acid test for US agriculture's support for the pact.

The US beef industry sees to resume its beef exports with South Korea, which was the country's third largest beef producer, until mad cow disease has prompted Koreans to ban American beef products in 2003.

Negotiators were rushing to finish the deal so it can be voted on under the president's current trade negotiating powers, which expire at the end of June.