WTO Listening Session
Memphis, Tennessee
June 16, 1999
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| MR. MANNING: Thank you, Bobby. The next panelist that I
would like to introduce is Amy Winton. She is Chief of Agricultural Trade Policy Division
and Economic and Business Bureau in the Department of State and we're grateful to have a
representative from the Department of State here. I think in the past they have not always
had good communication between the Departments of Agriculture and State and we're grateful
that you've come. Would you come to the podium, please, and address the group. MS. WINTON: Thank you, Earl, and Commissioner Wheeler. I don't know about my colleague Gus but I did have a chance to go to Beale Street last night and hear some absolutely wonderful music. It was (inaudible) to Memphis. I'm very glad to be here today representing the State Department and I won't repeat what has been said by the USTR. Gus will be following with more detail on the workings. I would like to note that the State Department will be working very closely in the months and years ahead with the USTR and the USDA to develop our position (inaudible). We're very much aware of the increasingly close link between our prosperity at home and our (inaudible) strong foreign policy overseas. Trade, particularly agriculture trade, has become increasingly critical for our domestic prosperity. As we know we're preparing for that ow and will be using overseas ambassadors abroad to seek support from U.S. (inaudible) and will also ask them to act as ears and eyes to our trade negotiators who will need to know exactly where our country stands on issues. But even more importantly now what our competitors are wanting at this upcoming trade negotiations is we want to know what our own farmers and ranchers learn from those talks. So we are very much looking forward to hearing your views and relaying those views back to our senior policy makers at the State. I think Gus can attest to the fact that the State Department has increasingly taken a more active role in economic issues and trade issues, agricultural issues, in particular. So we, again, look very much forward to working with our colleagues and hearing all of your comments today and relaying them all back. Thank you. |
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