FACTBOX: Presidential candidates on trade

Tue Apr 22, 2008 5:54pm EDT
 
[-] Text [+]

(Reuters) - Following are the 2008 U.S. presidential candidates' positions on free trade as Canada and Mexico on Tuesday brushed aside criticism of the North American Free Trade Agreement at a summit with President George W. Bush.

DEMOCRATIC SEN. HILLARY CLINTON OF NEW YORK

* Urged renegotiating NAFTA to strengthen provisions on labor and environment. Warned of opting out from the treaty if Canada and Mexico refuse.

* Opposed free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea but supported a pact with Peru in December.

* Pushed for increasing enforcement of U.S. trade laws, including pursuing more complaints with the World Trade Organization, using a provision that would allow outside groups to petition the government about unfair practices by trading partners and create an Intellectual Property Enforcement Network.

REPUBLICAN SEN. JOHN MCCAIN OF ARIZONA

* Supports free trade pacts with Colombia, South Korea and Panama and negotiating a new free trade pact with the 27 nations of the European Union.

* Opposes changing NAFTA agreement.

* Favors opening new trade markets, but also advocates education and retraining for workers displaced by global trade.

DEMOCRATIC SEN. BARACK OBAMA OF ILLINOIS

* Urged renegotiating the NAFTA to strengthen provisions on labor and environment. Warned of opting out from the treaty if Canada and Mexico refuse.

* Opposed free trade pacts with Colombia and South Korea but supported an agreement with Peru.

* Supports pressuring World Trade Organization to better enforce agreements and halt government subsidies to foreign exporters and imposing other nontariff barriers on U.S. exports.

* Wants to revamp fast-track trade negotiating authority to require pre-screening of potential U.S. free trade partners based on their labor and environmental standards and other factors.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Philip Barbara)

 

Featured Broker sponsored link

Editor's Choice

A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours.  Slideshow 

Most Popular on Reuters

  • Articles
  • Video
Bernd Debusmann
A good war gone bad

In the protracted Washington debate over the war in Afghanistan, the most concise analysis comes from America's top soldier: "If we don't get a level of legitimacy and governance (there), then all the troops in the world aren't going to make any difference."  Commentary