Congress action seen if Doha breakthrough comes

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congress could quickly renew "fast track" authority for the White House to finish world trade talks if there is a long-awaited breakthrough in those negotiations, an analyst said on Wednesday.

Top Brazilian and Indian trade officials have recently complained the White House's lack of trade promotion authority -- also known as fast track trade legislation -- was an impediment to finishing the 6-year-old world trade talks.

That legislation, which expired in June, requires Congress to approve or reject trade agreements without making any changes. Since any trade deal is likely to contain some unpopular provisions, trade promotion authority is considered essential to prevent U.S. lawmakers from picking agreements apart.

Democrats have been slow to approve pending free-trade agreements with Peru, Panama, Colombia and South Korea since winning control of Congress last year.

But they probably would act quickly to renew fast track if an attractive Doha round trade deal were in sight, said Dan Griswold, director of the Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies, which closely tracks congressional trade votes.

"If (negotiators) were able to hammer out a comprehensive agreement that had real gains in market access for American farmers and businesses and service providers, I think you could get this Congress to extend trade promotion authority for that single objective," Griswold said in an interview.

SEEKING A ROAD MAP

Past votes show Democrats have been more willing to support multilateral trade agreements, such as the 1994 Uruguay Round world trade deal, than bilateral and regional free trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement, Griswold said.