USTR chief appeals WTO over cotton subsidy ruling

USTR chief appeals WTO over cotton subsidy ruling    The U.S. trade representative filed an appeal with the World Trade Organization Monday over a ruling that found U.S. cotton subsidies depressed the commodity’s prices in the international market.
   Robert Zoellick, chief of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, warned the WTO Sept. 8 that the United States would appeal the ruling to the WTO appellate body. “The facts do not show that U.S. farm programs have distorted trade and caused low cotton prices,” Zoellick said in a statement Monday.
   The WTO appellate body has up to three months to study the U.S. government’s objections to the ruling in the case, which was brought to the organization by Brazil.