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November 30, 1999
ROCKEFELLER TO ATTEND WTO MEETING IN SEATTLE
WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) today announced that he will travel to Seattle on Thursday to attend the World Trade Organization Summit. The Senator, who was named as part of the official congressional delegation for the Summit by Senate leadership, said that he is going to deliver the message that free trade must also be fair trade. Rockefeller released the following statement prior to his departure:
"As we conduct the largest foreign trade summit ever held on American soil, we are at a major crossroads for American trade policy. There is a strong movement by the Clinton Administration and many of our trading partners to further reduce barriers to free trade. I am for expanding trade as long as there's a level playing field for our domestic industries.
"Already, I have voiced my concerns to the Administration and have been personally reassured by the President and members of his cabinet that our negotiators will not allow a weakening of our anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws. A weakening of these laws in Seattle would mean a weakening of the last line of defense for our domestic industries who find themselves under assault from unfair or illegally traded foreign imports. Despite the Administration's assurances, I will be in Seattle to keep a close eye on these negotiations.
"I will also be in Seattle to continue to make the case for stronger laws that safeguard domestic industry. In October of this year, I introduced legislation to make long-overdue adjustments to our trade laws by updating provisions that provide relief to domestic manufacturers. Current U.S. safeguard standards are often stricter than the corresponding standards in the WTO Safeguards Agreement. This inequity puts American companies and workers at a disadvantage. By harmonizing U.S. trade law with the WTO, we can place American manufacturers and workers on a level playing field with their foreign counterparts.
"This is an age of globalization. The rapid rise of communications and Internet technology has created a world in which nations cannot help but intermingle, and there is no question that trade with foreign nations is a vital component of the American economy. But free trade can only really work if we have, and we enforce, reasonable rules that protect our domestic industries from unfair and illegal trade practices. My goal in Seattle will be to deliver the message that free trade must be fair, and when fairness is not achieved there must be effective means for aggrieved parties to find relief and remuneration."
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