[Ip-health] Australia: Vaile and Zoellick consider "political talk" on trade-offs, Australia to consider US perspective on IPR

[James Love]

* In bilateral talks before Mr Bush addressed parliament yesterday
morning, Mr Howard repeatedly expressed the need to get a free-trade
agreement with the US finalised by the end of the year before the
presidential election campaign got under way.

* But in a more important development, Mr Bush agreed that Trade
Minister Mark Vaile and US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick would
sit down for a "political talk" on trade-offs once the next round of
formal negotiations on the agreement concluded next week.

* He said Australia would be prepared to consider areas of contention
from the US perspective in investment, services and intellectual
property rights, although he emphasised that these would be in
prospective areas, not undoing long-term policies like local content.


http://afr.com/articles/2003/10/23/1066631570596.html

PM pressures Bush on trade
Oct 24
Laura Tingle, Chief political correspondent

Prime Minister John Howard yesterday sought to exploit President George
Bush's gratitude for Australia's support in Iraq with an aggressive bid
for concessions on agricultural trade and the location of a regional
aircraft maintenance base.

But the controversial nature of the Australian commitment to the war in
Iraq meant Mr Bush faced a clearly divided audience at a joint sitting
of federal parliament.

Greens MPs heckled the President during his speech, which also sparked
violent protests outside Parliament House and the Prime Minister's
residence amid tight security.

Mr Bush's message was primarily a defensive one. He sought to justify
his administration's pre-emptive attack on Iraq and the continuing
demands of the war on terrorism, rather than spelling out new directions
for the alliance with Australia.

"With decisive victories behind us, we still have decisive days ahead.
We cannot let up in our offensive against terror, even a bit," he said.

And he backed Mr Howard's argument that Australia could be friends with
both the US and China, saying: "Australia's agenda with China is the
same as my country's."

Mr Bush left Canberra last night, ending his swing through Asia, his
longest trip abroad. He will now focus on fighting an election against a
backdrop of a recovering US economy but a growing impasse in Iraq.

In bilateral talks before Mr Bush addressed parliament yesterday
morning, Mr Howard repeatedly expressed the need to get a free-trade
agreement with the US finalised by the end of the year before the
presidential election campaign got under way.

But in a more important development, Mr Bush agreed that Trade Minister
Mark Vaile and US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick would sit down
for a "political talk" on trade-offs once the next round of formal
negotiations on the agreement concluded next week.

Mr Howard urged Mr Bush to deliver a breakthrough on agriculture for
Australia, saying it was understood this might involve a deal under
which benefits built up over time.

He said Australia would be prepared to consider areas of contention from
the US perspective in investment, services and intellectual property
rights, although he emphasised that these would be in prospective areas,
not undoing long-term policies like local content.

Mr Howard also said Australia wanted to have the Asian regional
maintenance centre for the new-generation US warplane, known as the
Joint Strike Fighter - a facility which would have great strategic and
industry significance.

He told Mr Bush Australia had "got in on the ground floor" of the JSF
program and wanted "state of the art technology" and the "top model
fighter at a reasonable price".

Greens senators Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle repeatedly interjected during
Mr Bush's speech and provoked extraordinary scenes of jostling as
coalition senators tried to block their access to Mr Bush as the
President left the parliament.

The Speaker of the House, Neil Andrew, subsequently "named" the two
senators, seeking to ban them from today's joint sitting to hear a
speech by Chinese President Hu Jintao, but his authority to keep
senators out of the chamber was under challenge last night.

While coalition senators enthusiastically welcomed the President, Labor
MPs and senators were lukewarm, keeping applause to a polite minimum and
some staying seated when others rose to applaud.

Sydney Labor MP Tanya Plibersek handed a letter of protest and a
collection of Labor anti-war speeches to National Security Adviser
Condoleezza Riceat the end of the President's address.

Mr Bush told parliament that the US and Australia were once again
standing side by side in a time of war.

He committed the US to "continue to maintain a forward presence in Asia,
and continue our close partnership with Australia".

For his part, Mr Howard said Australia and the US "share an even greater
future".

"The significance of America to Australia will grow as the years go by.
It will not diminish," he said.

"That is one of the driving forces behind our commitment to a free-trade
agreement."

Opposition Leader Simon Crean said that "on occasions friends disagree,
as we on this side did with you on the war in Iraq".

But, he said, "our commitment to the alliance remains unshakeable, as
does our commitment to the war on terror, but friends must be honest
with each other".

Dr Rice indicated a decision on the siting of a regional JSF base was
some way off, but Mr Bush told the Prime Minister: "Call me if things
get stuck."

Sources say such a maintenance base could deliver significant benefits
in jobs and investment to Australia, but with the fighters still a
decade away from delivery there are no clear plans for where such a base
might be located.

The focus of the President's speech - defending the war on terrorism
rather than primarily on the future of the US-Australia alliance -
reflected the considerable problems he is having at home on the issue.

In bilateral talks with Mr Howard, Mr Bush said his administration had
engaged in an "international strategy to speak the truth". It aimed at
emphasising the advances being made in Iraq and sending US congressman
to the war-torn country to "publicise improvements".

According to officials, Mr Bush acknowledged there was a perception that
a soldier was dying every day in Iraq but he did not accept that this
was true.


--
James Love, Director, Consumer Project on Technology
http://www.cptech.org, mailto:james.love@cptech.org
tel. +1.202.387.8030, mobile +1.202.361.3040