Russia agrees to lift ban on imports of U.S. poultry

MOSCOW (AP) _ Russia agreed Sunday to lift a ban on poultry imports from the United States, resolving a dispute that had clouded economic relations, the U.S. ambassador said. <br><br>In exchange, the United

Sunday, March 31st 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MOSCOW (AP) _ Russia agreed Sunday to lift a ban on poultry imports from the United States, resolving a dispute that had clouded economic relations, the U.S. ambassador said.

In exchange, the United States agreed to tougher controls on veterinary documents and measures against companies that exported salmonella-tainted chicken, U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow said. There was no immediate comment from the Russian side.

Russia imposed the ban earlier this month, citing concerns about sanitary conditions in U.S. plants and the use of antibiotics and feed additives in American chickens. U.S. officials said the ban was not justified scientifically and accused Moscow of protectionism.

U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow said he and Russia's chief veterinary inspector Mikhail Kravchuk signed a protocol Sunday on the ban, and it would be lifted before April 10, after the United States meets requirements set by Russia.

Vershbow told a news conference that the issue of poultry imports had become the number one problem in U.S.-Russian relations over the past month. Chicken is the top American export to Russia, bringing in $600 million to $700 million a year to producers in 38 U.S. states.

``This dispute has caused some harm to bilateral economic relations,'' Vershbow said. ``That's undeniable.''

The ban _ along with recent U.S. sanctions on foreign steel, a major Russian export _ had clouded relations ahead of President Bush's visit to Russia in May.

``With the visit of Bush two months away, there is a need to expand our cooperation, and it appears that this (poultry dispute) obstacle has been removed,'' Vershbow said.

He said there were two central issues in the dispute: discovery of salmonella in some imported poultry and discrepancies, including forgery, in veterinary documents.

The United States agreed to temporarily exclude 14 American poultry producers from the list of approved exporters after their products were found to contain salmonella.

It will also use veterinary certificate forms with security features aimed at preventing forgery.

Vershbow said that in the talks, there was no evidence that American poultry shipments deviated from a 1996 agreements on health standards, and ``we have heard of no cases where any poultry products have caused any harm to the Russian consumer.''

``When the ban is lifted, all other U.S. companies will be able to resume trade, and hopefully the other (14 excluded) plants will soon be reinstated,'' Vershbow said.

Vershbow complained that Russia had fostered negative publicity about the safety of American food exports, tactics that he said could complicate Russia's desire to join the World Trade Organization.

``The handling of this dispute has been very much at variance with the kind of rules of the game that WTO members are expected to observe,'' he said.