Lessons From U.S.-Russia Chicken Flap
By Senator Joe Biden, Delaware State News
Source:
April 12, 2002
This op-ed appeared in THE DELAWARE STATE NEWS on April 12, 2002.
LESSONS FROM U.S.-RUSSIA CHICKEN FLAP
By Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Amid all the clever comments about “ruffled feathers” and a “trade flap,” there are some serious lessons to be learned from the recent skirmish over Russia’s ban on U.S. poultry.
A few short weeks ago, Russia imposed an embargo on poultry from Delaware and other states. Last week, after intense negotiations, Russia agreed to lift that ban by April 10. The restrictions had threatened to damage America’s biggest single foreign market for poultry, with total annual sales exceeding $600 million for 38 states. To secure the arrangement to end the ban, the United States has agreed to address Russian concerns about some of our farming and processing techniques. U.S. officials said they would take steps to reassure their Russian counterparts about issues concerning farming and processing techniques that had been raised.
But more was at stake than these issues; it escaped no one’s attention that the move to limit poultry imports was closely timed to the U.S. duties on Russian and other steel imports. Some saw the poultry ban as a retaliation for imposing the steel tariffs. Others considered it to be a ploy to unfairly protect Russian poultry supplies in an increasingly competitive Russian market. In any case, this confrontation placed additional strain on the evolving ties between Moscow and Washington.
As U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow pointed out, the poultry ban became “the No. 1 problem in U.S.-Russian relations” for nearly a month. Presidents Bush and Putin discussed the issue, as did members of their respective cabinets.
In conjunction with my Congressional colleagues, I wrote to Russian Ambassador Yuri V. Ushakov in Washington, and to U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick. I also spoke individually with Mr. Zoellick and key officials at the Department of State and the National Security Council to underscore how important it was to have this matter resolved quickly, and to emphasize how hard it would be to address other issues of importance to Russia without a solution to the poultry problem.
For example, at his November summit meeting with President Putin in Crawford, Texas, President Bush said his Administration would work with Congress to extend permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status to Russia. Two bills have been introduced, in the House of Representatives and the Senate, to grant PNTR status to Russia. In considering this issue, members of Congress will be carefully reviewing Russia’s behavior – and I particularly will be keeping the poultry ban and what it means to U.S. industry in mind.
It is worth noting that this was not the first time Russia had threatened to stop importing U.S. poultry products. In early 1996, when a similar ban was imminent, I led the Senate effort to stop it – by being in daily contact with the White House, then-Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor – who then successfully negotiated an agreement not to halt U.S. poultry exports to Russia.
I want to assure Delaware’s poultry producers that the periodic imposition or threat of a ban remains a crucial issue in U.S.-Russian relations, and that it will not be forgotten when President Bush makes his trip to Russia later this spring. The link between international diplomacy our economic well-being at home has been demonstrated anew. If the Administration follows through as I expect, a key international trade issue will be resolved and Delaware’s poultry industry will continue to grow and thrive.
###
U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., a Democrat, is Delaware’s senior U.S. Senator. He is Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Delaware State News Home Page:
http://www.newszap.com/
