US House likely to vote Morocco-US FTA this month, Representative
Morocco-USA, Politics, 7/9/2004

The U.S. House of Representatives is likely to vote this month on a newly negotiated free-trade agreement between the United States and Morocco, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee said on Wednesday.

Republican Rep. Bill Thomas of California, said in testimony to the Ways and Means Committee, "it's my goal to move the agreement to the floor (of the House of Representatives) before the Democratic convention."

In the same session, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier argued that "more than 95 percent of two-way trade in consumer and industrial products will become duty-free immediately," putting forward Morocco's efforts to liberalize its trade and reform its economy as well as to ensure the respect of competition and free trade.

Morocco and the US signed the Free Trade Agreement on July 15.

According to statistics of the US trade representative's department, the United States exports to Morocco an average of USD 475 million-worth of goods and imports nearly USD 500 million from the country. Some 120 American companies are operating in Morocco. With a total investment of USD 600 million, they helped create 90,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The FTA The proposed free-trade agreement would eliminate many Moroccan tariffs on U.S. goods, according to the U.S. Trade Representative's office.

During Wednesday's House committee hearing, lawmakers were generally supportive of the U.S.-Morocco negotiation.

Previous Stories:
  Royal visit to Washington, new impetus to Morocco-US longstanding relations   (7/8/2004)
  King Mohammed due in Washington Wednesday   (7/7/2004)
  Morocco, US FTA, an important signal, US official   (6/19/2004)

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