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From: TSS ()
US Senator Threatens to Block South Korea Deal U.S. lawmaker threatened to block a major trade deal with South Korea just hours after it was agreed on Monday. "This is an entirely unacceptable outcome." A hard line from Baucus and other members of Congress could be trouble for the deal, which officials wrapped up after a marathon negotiating session in Seoul. Baucus, a Democrat from the cattle state Montana, said South Korea must open its markets to all beef exports, including meat from animals of any age, both bone-in and boneless. The senator has been a harsh critic of Korean officials' decision to reject three U.S. beef shipments since late last year that contained trace bone chips. That dispute was not formally part of the negotiating agenda but became a litmus test for U.S. agriculture's support for the pact. The beef industry is keen to see beef trade resume fully with South Korea, which was the third largest customer for U.S. beef until mad cow disease was discovered in the United States in 2003. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino was upbeat about the deal's chances, even in a Democratic-controlled Congress that has been skeptical of the administration's trade agenda. "We're hopeful, it's always difficult to pass trade legislation in Congress ... But because America benefits from trade opportunities, and we believe that, at the end of the day, people will recognize that," she said. Negotiators were rushing to finish the deal so it can be voted on under the president's current trade negotiating powers, which expire at the end of June. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky in Washington) Published: April 02, 2007 17:11h
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