Leather first on the list for Uruguay
15/09/2009
Uruguay’s president, Tabaré Vázquez, raised the subject of preferential treatment of leather exports from his country on the first day of a state visit to the US on September 14.
Dr Vázquez held his first meeting in Washington with Senator Richard Lugar, a senior Republican politician who has been campaigning for a free trade agreement between the two countries since 2002, and whom the president of the South American country referred to as “a great friend to Uruguay”.
The talks centred on the possible inclusion of Uruguay in a US scheme that offers trading partners in Latin America preferential tariff rates, or even duty free status, on exports of certain products. In Uruguay’s case, leather would be one of the products to benefit.
Senator Lugar said after the meeting: “The ultimate goal of expanding commercial ties with Uruguay should be a free trade agreement, which I have advocated since 2002 when I offered legislation to do so. But, given the current domestic obstacles to bilateral trade deals, a trade preference arrangement is an interim step that would advance US interests. Trade preferences are usually designed to promote economic growth in our poorest trading partners. Uruguay does not fall into that category, but I believe that preferences should also be used strategically to advance foreign policy goals.”
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