EC, U.S. PLAN HIGH-LEVEL TRADE TALKS
The European Community is willing to
offer limited concessions to the United States on one of two
major issues which threaten to poison their trade relations
next year, an EC commission spokesman said.
    He said the offer would be made at a meeting later this
month between U.S. Trade Representative Clayton Yeutter and EC
External Relations Commissioner Willy de Clercq.
    EC Farm Commissioner Frans Andriessen told agriculture
ministers meeting in Luxembourg that the EC is willing to make
some temporary arrangements to lighten the impact on U.S.
Exports of an EC plan to ban the sales of meat from animals fed
with growth hormones, the spokesman said.
    Washington has said it will take trade reprisals if the EC
proceeds with the ban from January 1 and if European countries
do not quickly cut back what it sees as unfair subsidies to the
makers of their Airbus airliner which are harming U.S.
Manufacturers.
    It claims the hormones ban has no scientific basis and will
rob it of 130 mln dlrs' worth of exports a year.
    Diplomatic sources said the Yeutter-de Clercq meeting will
take place in London and will also involve the aerospace
ministers of France, Britain, West Germany and Spain, the
countries involved in the Airbus project.
 Reuter
