NAM says U.S. must see balance if Doha is to move ahead.

Press Release Summary:



Meeting with WTO Director General Pascal Lamy to discuss Doha Round, NAM President John Engler stated that there can be no conclusion to Doha Round unless there is an ambitious result in cutting manufactured goods trade barriers worldwide. Balance for American manufacturers is only possible if big emerging manufacturers of Brazil, China, and India are part of sector-specific agreements that would be aimed at eliminating tariffs in significant industrial sectors.



Original Press Release:



NAM Says U.S. Must See Balance If Doha Is To Move Ahead



"Brazil, China, and India Must Open Their Markets," Says Engler

Washington DC, August 22, 2008 -- National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President John Engler met today with World Trade Organization (WTO) Director General Pascal Lamy to discuss the status of the Doha Round. After the meeting, he issued the following statement:

Director-General Lamy and I met to discuss the circumstances under which the WTO Doha Round might be able to move forward after the collapse of the July Mini-Ministerial meeting in Geneva.

Stressing that manufactured goods are 60 percent of world trade, I told him that there can be no conclusion to the Doha Round unless there is an ambitious result in cutting manufactured goods trade barriers around the world - both in tariffs and non-tariff barriers.

American manufacturers must see a balanced outcome in order to support the Round, and must see the path forward to achieve that outcome in order to endorse any re-start of negotiations.

Given the weakness of the proposed tariff-cutting formulas in the Doha Round, I reiterated the NAM's firm position that balance for American manufacturers is only possible if the big emerging manufacturers of Brazil, China, and India are part of sector-specific agreements that would be aimed at eliminating tariffs in significant industrial sectors. These countries must open their markets.

U.S. industry historically has led the way in liberalizing trade, but given the rise of new producers in the rapidly emerging markets, our further movement can only take place if these new producers contribute strongly to trade liberalization by cutting their high barriers significantly.

The NAM has enunciated this position repeatedly to the Administration, and we are very pleased that there is no difference in view between the NAM and the U.S. government. The NAM looks forward to continuing to work with Administration officials and Director-General Lamy to achieve the necessary ambitious and balanced outcome for U.S. and other global manufacturers.

The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation's largest industrial trade association, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAM has 11 additional offices across the country. Visit the NAM's award-winning web site at www.nam.org for more information about manufacturing and the economy.

CONTACTS:

GREG WRIGHT (202) 637-3084

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