Russia Threatens U.S. Meat Imports If No WTO Deal Is Reached by October
RUSSIA - On Thursday, Aug. 17, Russia threatened to scrap preferences for U.S. poultry and red meat imports if Washington fails to endorse Moscow’s accession to the World Trade Organization by the end of October.
18 August 2006
2 minute read
“If talks (on Russia’s WTO entry)...set for the end of October in Geneva fail, Russia will have to return to its original stance prior to agreements on (bilateral) meat trade that had been reached,” Economy Minister German Gref said in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
Excerpts from Gref’s letter, first made available by unnamed sources to the Kommersant daily, were posted on the ministry’s official website.
U.S. and Russian officials failed to reach a trade deal in time for the July Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, where Russia had hoped to clinch a WTO accord with the United States after Moscow’s 13-year bid for membership.
Source: MosNews.com
Excerpts from Gref’s letter, first made available by unnamed sources to the Kommersant daily, were posted on the ministry’s official website.
U.S. and Russian officials failed to reach a trade deal in time for the July Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, where Russia had hoped to clinch a WTO accord with the United States after Moscow’s 13-year bid for membership.
Source: MosNews.com
