'Russia's WTO entry not close'
Thursday, 14 August 2008
WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters): A top Bush administration official played down Tuesday any connection between Russia's military action in Georgia and Moscow's long-term bid to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
"We've worked with Russia in terms of the WTO accession and they still have a ways to go. So it's not as though they're close to it. They still have some work to do before they get to it," US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said in an interview with the news agency.
Gutierrez's comment that Russia was not close to finishing its WTO membership bid was at odds with other recent Bush administration statements.
During a visit to Moscow in June, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said negotiations were nearing their end.
Reuben Jeffery, US undersecretary of state for economic, energy and agricultural affairs, said in April Russia's WTO membership "can and should happen in the near term."
The United States has already reached a bilateral market access deal on the terms of Russia's entry into the WTO.
Moscow must reach an overall accord with the 153 members of the WTO covering areas such as intellectual property rights protection, where the United States has a strong interest, before its entry is complete.
Georgia is already a member of the WTO and has threatened to block Russia's admission.
Once a final accession deal is negotiated, the United States would be obligated under WTO rules to lift a cold war-era trade provision known as the Jackson-Vanik amendment.
That measure tied normal trade relations with the Soviet Union and other centrally planned economies to the rights of Jews and other religious minorities to emigrate freely.
"We've worked with Russia in terms of the WTO accession and they still have a ways to go. So it's not as though they're close to it. They still have some work to do before they get to it," US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said in an interview with the news agency.
Gutierrez's comment that Russia was not close to finishing its WTO membership bid was at odds with other recent Bush administration statements.
During a visit to Moscow in June, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said negotiations were nearing their end.
Reuben Jeffery, US undersecretary of state for economic, energy and agricultural affairs, said in April Russia's WTO membership "can and should happen in the near term."
The United States has already reached a bilateral market access deal on the terms of Russia's entry into the WTO.
Moscow must reach an overall accord with the 153 members of the WTO covering areas such as intellectual property rights protection, where the United States has a strong interest, before its entry is complete.
Georgia is already a member of the WTO and has threatened to block Russia's admission.
Once a final accession deal is negotiated, the United States would be obligated under WTO rules to lift a cold war-era trade provision known as the Jackson-Vanik amendment.
That measure tied normal trade relations with the Soviet Union and other centrally planned economies to the rights of Jews and other religious minorities to emigrate freely.