UK seeking steel break from U.S.
UK's Prime Minister Tony Blair is hoping to save Britain's steel industry from the Bush administration's exorbitant tariffs. Blair, who met with George Bush in early April in the U.S., is trying to cut a deal with Washington that would exempt Britain from U.S. quotas.
Blair is expected to argue that most of Britain's steel imports don't compete with the type of steel manufactured in America. Political analysts say, if the deal goes through, it would end up saving many British jobs. It would also end up saving face for Blair in proving his close alliance with Bush. On the other hand, it could create a furor in the rest of the EU.
British sources claim since the Bush-Blair summit meeting in the U.S. a month ago, that a possible deal may be in the early stages. The request that Blair has made is for Bush to include steel from Britain in the “product exclusion process,” making it possible then, to exempt imports from the tariffs imposed in late March.
Meanwhile, Patricia Hewitt, the
UK's Trade Secretary, had all but assured those in the
UK steel industry in late April that an exemption seemed highly probable. EU Commissioner, Pascal Lamy was not thrilled with the news, commenting that the
UK must join the entire EU bloc without trying to benefit from its own special exemptions.