Venezuela criticize U.S. House trade decision

CNN
November 19, 2001

Venezuela criticize U.S. House trade decision

                 CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- The foreign minister criticized a decision by
                 the U.S. House of Representatives last month to exclude Venezuela from
                 tariff preferences granted to other Andean countries.

                 Luis Alfonso Davila said Monday that he disagreed that the 1991 Andean Trade
                 Preferences Act, or ATPA, should only benefit drug-producing Andean nations
                 such as Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

Venezuela should be included because it cooperates closely with the United States
to pursue drug traffickers that use Venezuela as a transit point, Davila argued.

Venezuela, which is not a major drug producer, is a key transit point for Colombia
cocaine being smuggled to the United States and Europe.

                 The U.S. House of Representatives voted to extend the ATPA for another year but
                 rejected a proposal by the five Andean countries to include Venezuela. The ATPA
                 aims to discourage narcotics production by granting preferential tariffs for Andean
                 exports ranging from bananas to coffee.

The Senate votes on the bill next month.

                 Davila rejected suggestions that the House voted to exclude Venezuela because of
                 friction between Washington and Caracas over President Hugo Chavez's recent
                 criticism of the U.S. bombing campaign against Afghanistan.