Lawmakers warn Bush not to rush into Doha deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four senior U.S. lawmakers warned President George W. Bush on Tuesday against rushing during his final weeks in office to reach a world trade agreement that could end up being rejected by Congress.
"We have strong doubts that a ministerial meeting at this time can achieve the breakthrough that actually provides the new trade flows needed to spur the global economy and help deliver on Doha's development promise," the bipartisan group said in a letter to Bush.
The warning came as members of the World Trade Organization appeared to be edging toward a trade ministers meeting the middle of this month in Geneva to achieve a breakthrough in the long-running Doha round of world trade talks.
That has made U.S. farm and business groups nervous the White House could settle for a deal requiring the United States to cut farm subsidies and tariffs on certain agricultural and manufactured goods without major developing countries like China and India opening their markets in return.
In individual statements, the four lawmakers expressed similar concerns about the current push for countries to agree on the key details, or "modalities", of a deal.
"The current drive to establish negotiating modalities puts form over substance, and is driven by an artificial and ill-conceived timetable focused on achieving a deal regardless of its merit," said House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat.
Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said: "If countries like India, Argentina, China, and Brazil are finally ready to sit down and agree on ways to open up meaningful new trade flows, then that's a reason to meet. Otherwise, there's no point."
"No deal is better than a bad deal, and I have yet to see the outlines emerge of what I'd consider to be a good deal," Grassley said.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, and Rep. Jim McCrery of Louisiana, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, also signed the letter.
(Reporting by Doug Palmer; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
