[Ip-health] =?WINDOWS-1252?Q?US-Peru_FTA_Represents_a_=93New_Deal=94_for_Int?= =?WINDOWS-1252?Q?ernational_Trade_?=

[Gaëlle Krikorian]

http://waysandmeans.house.gov/news.asp?formmode=release&id=561
House Committee on Ways and Means

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 	Contact:
Matthew Beck or J. Jioni Palmer
(202) 225-8933

US-Peru FTA Represents a “New Deal” for International Trade
Committee schedules informal mark-up of FTA for Tuesday, September 25

WASHINGTON – House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B.
Rangel (D-NY) spoke before the weekly meeting of the House Democratic
Caucus today on the pending consideration of the US-Peru free trade
agreement (FTA).  Chairman Rangel shared with his colleagues his
belief that this agreement represents a new direction for American
trade policy.  He recounted to them his recent trip to Lima and
meetings with Peruvian President Alan Garcia, who called the FTA a
“New Deal” for international trade.

Chairman Rangel also noted today that the Committee would proceed
directly to the informal consideration, or mark-up, of the US-Peru
FTA next week during a Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday,
September 25.  The informal mark-up will take place in the main
Committee room at a time to be determined.

“Trade policy should be an issue where, on every agreement, there
should be an “American stamp” indicating that it represents the
values we hold so dear,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman
Charles B. Rangel.  “We have an opportunity to do this with
consideration of the US-Peru FTA.  As President Garcia said, this
agreement represents a “New Deal” for international trade and it
helps to strengthen America’s friendship and partnership with our
Latin American neighbor.  For the first time we have – in the text of
the agreement a commitment to implement and enforce minimum labor
standards to promote fairness and decency for workers, uphold strong
international commitments on the environment and expand access to
life-saving medicines in developing countries."

“For the past seven years, trade policy was held hostage by partisan
gridlock,” continued Chairman Rangel.  “Republicans prevented
Democrats from having any input – not only on trade agreements, but
in the formation of trade policy.   This was unfortunate, but the
Peru FTA presents an opportunity to move forward toward re-
establishing a bipartisan consensus on trade.”