U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick called for a global agr...

isolation,” he said at an Electronic Industries Alliance dinner Tues. in Washington. Zoellick said the U.S. had to be “bold and ambitious in our agenda to open markets and expand trade” in industrial goods and services. “To successfully address new challenges that are part of the global trading networks, we must tear down tariff walls and non-tariff barriers, especially in high-tech goods, and we must also overhaul old customs procedures that choke trade at borders,” he said. Zoellick said “some important progress” had been made since the Doha negotiations broke down in Cancun. On industrial goods, he said, “I believe that we are closing in on a framework for liberalization that will focus on core elements, including a non-linear, line-by-line formula cut in tariffs, complemented by eliminating all tariffs negotiated sectors and a serious effort to try to address the non-tariff barriers, both sector-by-sector and across sectors.” He encouraged the high-tech industry to “continue to help us by working with industry associations in other countries to try to build a critical mass of countries that are willing to participate.” Zoellick said the goal was to reach agreement on “these critical frameworks” in goods and services before Aug., and trying to “keep the global trading rules and objectives aligned with a very rapidly changing, globally interconnected digital society” is one of the main challenges trade negotiators face. He said other challenges were “dealing with billions of new entrants to the global trading system” and “using enforcement strategies that will produce real results, not just rhetoric and lawsuits.” Zoellick said while “some have suggested that we should measure the commitment to trade enforcement by how many law suits we bring in the WTO… It’s not a good measure of real commercial results, especially in an industry that is as fact-moving” as high-tech. He said the USTR also used its “leverage with countries that want to enter free trade agreements [FTAs] with the United States. Dealing with some… issues before negotiations even begin allows us to produce what we are in the market for: Real results.” He said the USTR, which last week signed an FTA with Australia - - only the 3rd FTA between developed countries -- hoped to close an FTA with Bahrain today (Thurs.), 5 Central American countries Fri. and Morocco in about 2 weeks. Zoellick said to meet the challenges, “our trade agenda must be bolder and push faster for results that ever before.” To achieve that, he said “we need to keep up the positive momentum” by: (1) “Passing these bilateral [FTAs] through the Congress, including this year.” (2) “Negotiating new [FTAs] that set very high standards for liberalization.” (3) “Pressing other countries to create a level playing field for U.S. exporters.” (4) “Making the case in [high-tech] communities… about the importance for open markets for [high-tech] companies and the country.” (5) “Renewing our commitment to make 2004 a year of real progress in the Doha round of global negotiations.” He said the Constitution gave Congress authority over trade. “We need to make our case… with members of Congress, both at home and in Washington,” he said. After the dinner, the crowd buzzed over the speech delivered by Hewlett-Packard Chmn. Carly Fiorina, who emphasized the role of information technology (IT) to create economic prosperity, which in turn would foster peace. Accepting the EIA Medal of Honor, Fiorina spoke of 2 women in India who worked their way out of poverty by using a solar- powered digital camera and printer -- donated by HP -- to start a business photographing weddings and other social events. The women earned more in a week than they had previously earned in a month, she said. She said Internet usage was higher in sub-Saharan Africa than in the Arab world, and suggested economic prosperity could go a long way toward deterring terrorism.