WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush told Russian President Vladimir Putin last week that he hoped to quickly settle a trade dispute over whether U.S. poultry is safe to eat, the White House said.
Russia, the biggest buyer of U.S. chicken and turkey meat, halted purchases one month ago citing concerns about antibiotics used in U.S. poultry production and disease-causing salmonella contamination. The action ignited suspicions among American farm groups that Russia was merely moving to protect its domestic poultry producers.
The March 10 ban has coincided with Russian anger at Washington's plans to slap hefty tariffs on steel imports into the United States, although neither side has publicly linked the two trade disputes.
Bush's telephone call to Putin came about six weeks before the two presidents are scheduled to meet in Moscow. A prolonged delay in lifting the ban could cast a shadow over the summit.
During the call, Bush "expressed his hope that all those issues can be resolved quickly," a White House spokesman said.
Because U.S. poultry exports are generated by some 37 U.S. states, the trade dispute has garnered attention at the highest levels of government.
RUSSIANS STILL SKEPTICAL
Russian Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev said earlier last week that he has yet to be convinced that U.S. poultry is safe to eat.
"I'm not sure how long (a decision) will take, it may be made quickly, or take some days," Gordeyev told reporters in the Siberian town of Novosibirsk.
His top deputy, Sergei Dankvert, said Russia was only partly convinced its demands for safety guarantees had been met. Both said Russia wanted new consultations with U.S. veterinarians.
After three weeks of negotiations with diplomats and veterinarians, Russia agreed to lift the ban on April 10 if Washington provided proof it had addressed the safety issues. But when the deadline arrived on Wednesday, Moscow extended the ban for two more days, saying it needed to study the documents Washington supplied.
A delegation of Russian veterinarians is currently in the United States inspecting poultry facilities.
Russia's State Duma, the lower parliament chamber, passed a resolution asking the government to keep the ban until the United States met all the poultry meat safety demands.
RUSSIA WANTS MORE INFO
A U.S. poultry industry official said Russia has requested a significant amount of additional information from the United States before it would be willing to lift the ban.
Richard Lobb, a spokesman for the U.S. National Chicken Council, said Russia has "approved two items, is reviewing five more and for five more it wants more information."
Lobb said he did not have details on the additional information requested by Russia. "This whole thing was unjustified to begin with," he said.
Russia bought more than 1 million tonnes of U.S. poultry meat last year, valued at about $640 million.
Sergei Strogoff, an agriculture specialist at the Russian embassy in Washington, said he was "absolutely optimistic" it will end soon. "We don't have any intention to continue that ban," he said.
Bush administration officials have said the ban is hurting chances the U.S. Congress will approve legislation aimed at enhancing the U.S.-Russia trade relationship.
American trade officials also have said the trade ban has made it more difficult to negotiate Russia's hoped-for entry into the World Trade Organization.:
