ATMI PETITIONS USTR TO DROP DUTY-FREE BENEFITS TO CERTAIN COUNTRIES

ATMI PETITIONS USTR TO DROP DUTY-FREE BENEFITS TO CERTAIN COUNTRIES    The American Textile Manufacturers Institute has asked the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to drop duty-free benefits for imports from India, Pakistan, Egypt and South Africa.
   The group cited in a study, “Promises Unkept: A Report on Market Access for U.S. Textile and Apparel Products Five Years into the World Trade Organization,” that these countries maintain high tariffs, import bans and other restrictions against U.S. textile exports, while enjoying the benefits of Generalized System of Preferences.
   U.S. Commerce Department figures from 1999 indicate that these four countries exported $1.6 billion in non-textile goods to the United States duty-free under GSP and more than $4.4 billion in textile and apparel to the United States, while U.S. exports of textile and apparel to these countries totaled less than $50 million, the group reported.
   “In 1994, this Administration promised the U.S. textile industry that it would get access to overseas markets,” said Roger W. Chastain of Mount Vernon Mills and president of ATMI. “It’s now 2000 and we’re still at ground zero in terms of access to most of these countries and the four countries that we’re seeking to have GSP benefits removed from are among the worst offenders.”