He has already shown support for CBI parity by including such an item in his proposed budget for fiscal 1998.Ĭlinton made no further comments about parity, according to White House officials who traveled with him to Barbados, where he concluded a five-day visit that included stops in Mexico and Costa Rica. He said he hoped such a bill would be introduced soon. President Clinton Saturday told Caribbean Basin nation leaders gathered in Bridgetown, Barbados, that while there is opposition to CBI parity in both parties, he believed Congress would pass a bill to grant it. “We will try to build support, but the best place for support for fast track is the White House,” he said. He also expressed concern that midway through the first year of the 105th Congress, the administration had not yet introduced a fast-track extension. “There is some room to negotiate, but to include them in fast track is a nonstarter for the Republicans,” he said. McCain reiterated Republican opposition, however, to any move by the administration to include labor and environmental standards as a provision of fast track.
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“This group will try to help the President move forward because we believe free trade is in the interest of the U.S., and we need to do a better job of making people understand why.” “The enemies of fast track are doing a good job of getting their message out,” a Graham aide said.
To insure that the White House proposes an extension of fast-track authority, Graham is organizing a House and Senate bipartisan coalition to encourage the Clinton administration to submit its fast-track request to Congress. After that, the countries could be granted full-fledged status in NAFTA. This second stage would last for four years. Under that plan, if a Caribbean tariff were 30 percent and Mexican tariffs on an identical item were zero, Caribbean tariffs would become 15 percent.Īfter a review of participating Caribbean nations, the President could broaden their benefits, to up to 100 percent NAFTA parity, if they met certain established criteria, such as protecting intellectual property rights, abiding by labor and environmental standards, cooperating in the war on drugs and opening access to their markets. Under Graham’s preliminary proposal, qualifying Caribbean countries would be granted 50 percent of NAFTA preference for the first three years of parity. The Caribbean is losing jobs to Mexico as an unintended consequence of NAFTA and it should be fixed.”Ī Graham spokesman said he was negotiating with the White House on his CBI parity plan and that it probably would be unveiled in June. The proposal for Caribbean Basin Initiative parity is aimed at giving these island countries trade benefits equal to those of Mexico under NAFTA.Īcknowledging that past attempts to advance a CBI parity plan have stalled for lack of support, McCain said that by linking parity with fast track, “it would be ventilated more. Such authority prohibits Congress from changing treaties it permits legislators only to approve or deny them under a tight timetable. The Clinton administration needs fast-track authority to expand NAFTA to Chile. Bob Graham (D., Fla.) to move the Caribbean proposal with the expected request for fast track. In a broad-ranging Capitol Hill press conference Monday, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R., Ariz.) said he was working with Sen.
WASHINGTON - Advocates of a plan to broaden trade privileges for the Caribbean are hoping to attach it to an expected White House proposal for fast-track negotiating authority to expand the North American Free Trade Agreement. BACKERS OF CBI PARITY SEEK FAST-TRACK LINK
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