Bush renews call for free trade pacts
WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush on Wednesday harnessed worrisome economic "uncertainty" to make a fresh plea for lawmakers to approve stalled free trade pacts with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.
"By opening up markets, but having us treated fairly, we'll have 100 million new customers. And I like that opportunity for American farmers and workers and business people," he said at a public event with a dozen US city mayors.
"I'm looking forward to working with Congress to get these deals passed. These are pro-growth and they're good for America," said the president.
The president did not cite specific countries, but has been pushing for the US Congress to approve those agreements -- and faces an uphill fight partly because of diminished influence at home in his final full year in office.
Lawmakers, chiefly Bush's Democratic critics, have expressed concerns about labor and environment standards in other countries and about market access there for US goods and services.
On South Korea -- the most commercially significant US deal in 15 years -- some argue that the pact does not fully open one of the world's largest vehicle markets to US autos, and that Seoul does not lift restrictions on US beef.
"These trade agreements they're about to vote on, there are goods coming from their countries coming to our countries relatively tariff-free. Our goods and services going to their country with a tariff on it; in other words, they're not treating us the way we're treating them," Bush charged.
"The American people expect America to be treated fairly. And that's what these free trade agreements do," he said.
