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The Korea-U.S. free trade agreement will be reviewed by the National Assembly's Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee on Monday, starting the parliamentary ratification process 10 months after the bilateral trade agreement was reached.
Political parties are saying that they are willing to ratify the trade deal in an extraordinary parliamentary session this month, but in fact they appear to lack the will to do so. The parties are trying to avoid the issue of fully opening Korea's beef market to the U.S., hoping to pass the political burden to their rivals for fear of a backlash from cattle farmers ahead of the general elections in April.
President Roh Moo-hyun disagrees with president-elect Lee Myung-bak over the ratification of the trade treaty and opening of the beef market. Lee is pressuring the current government to resolve the beef issue in February, saying the government should tackle it as the U.S. wants full access to Korea's beef market as a precondition for its ratification of the trade pact.
However, Cheong Wa Dae is apparently unwilling to deal with the issue, saying a resolution to the problem would be difficult within its tenure since negotiations between the two countries have hit a snag.
Beef talks have remained deadlocked since late January. The U.S. has demanded that Korea allow full imports of meat, intestines and ribs of cattle 30 months and older. But Seoul rejected the demand and dug in its heels, saying that it will open the beef market only with conditions.
President-elect Lee has vowed to have the trade treaty ratified by March. A key aide to the incoming president acknowledged that the beef issue is a political hot potato but said it should be resolved by late March. He added that the incoming government will try to resolve the ratification and beef issues, but stumbling blocks are the general elections and the opposition of lawmakers from rural areas.
Meanwhile a government official said that resolving the beef issue within the tenure of the current government is unlikely and the new administration will have to deal with it politically. He added that Korea will first have to lift its regulations on beef imports, which are not in line with international standards, such as the limit on the age of cattle.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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