Bush encourages Congress to accept U.S.-Australia FTA

Bush encourages Congress to accept U.S.-Australia FTA    President Bush asked Congress Tuesday to pass legislation to implement the recently negotiated U.S.-Australia free trade agreement.
   “The United States and Australia already enjoy a strong trade relationship,” Bush said in a letter to Congress Tuesday. “The U.S.-Australia FTA will further open Australia’s market for U.S. manufactured goods, agricultural products, and services, and will promote new growth in our bilateral trade.”
   He added: “As soon as the FTA enters into force, tariffs will be eliminated on almost all manufactured goods traded between our countries, providing significant export opportunities for American manufacturers.”
   Bush backed the controversial makeup of the FTA’s agricultural provisions: “The agreement’s provisions on agriculture represent a balanced response to those seeking improved access to Australia’s markets, through immediate elimination of tariffs on U.S. exports and mechanisms to resolve sanitary and phytosanitary issues and facilitate trade between our countries, while recognizing the sensitive nature of some U.S. agricultural sectors and their possible vulnerability to increased imports.”
   High tariffs remain in place, for example, on U.S. imports of Australian beef and dairy products.