Mullen to head new couriers? trade association

Mullen to head new couriersÆ trade association    The four global express delivery companies — UPS, FedEx, TNT and DHL — have formed a new organization to represent their interests in Washington and named former Customs and Border Protection official Michael Mullen to lead it.
   The Express Association of America said it would seek to influence policy in the areas of security, trade, customs and postal regulation.
   Mullen was assistant commissioner for international affairs and trade relations at CBP until last November. The Bush administration political appointee previously was a senior associate at management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, specializing in national security affairs. From 1995 to 2002, Mullen was director of the National Center for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, a public-private organization dedicated to removing trade barriers and creating export opportunities for U.S. firms in the region.
   The same four international package carriers, along with some regional trade associations, already are represented by the Brussels, Belgium-based Global Express Association on transportation, trade and environmental issues before the World Customs Organization, World Trade Organization, Universal Postal Union, European Union and world governments. The GEA is headed by John Simpson, a former CBP official. ' Eric Kulisch