ARGENTINA TO EXPOSE USA TRADE RESTRICTIONS

Buenos Aires, August 22 (PL)- Argentina will denounce at the World Trade Organization (WTO) the barriers the USA rises on Argentina meat and citric fruits imports.

The United States will enjoy sixty days to reply and if Argentina is dissatisfied a panel of experts is to study the denounced protectionist practices razing the WTO regulations.

The unjustified closing of the meat market generate several hundreds millions worth losses and brings a ripple effect on other markets, like Canada.

In the year 2000, the USA and Canada absorved 13 percent of Argentina´s fresh and frozen cow meat exports, and both were closed without forewarning. Something similar happens with lemon (from 2001) from the protectionist lobbies annulled the US sanitary authorities' license.

Argentina, stresses the source, "exports citric fruits to many destinations with pressing sanitary standards like the Netherlands, Spain and Italy and none questions the South American country´s export quality, today subject of a US trade barrier”.

Last July 10th, our country addressed the WTO Sanitary and Phitosanitary Committee urging for responses to the unjustified delay to authorize meat imports, and the Foreign Ministry reminds the US response was unsuiting.

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