On the recordNovember 30, 1999
Well, I hope we'll get a new round launched that will slash tariffs and other trade barriers in agriculture and other areas. I hope that we will agree to keep E-commerce free of unusual burdens and that we will lead to more transparent and open rules among nations so that they believe the trading system is fair. I also strongly, strongly believe that we should open the process up to all those people who are now demonstrating on the outside. They ought to be a part of it. And I think we should strengthen the role and the interests of labor and the environment in our trade negotiations. This is not going to be easy to do, partly because some nations, particularly a lot of developing nations, see our concern for the environment and labor standards as a way to sort of keep them down. But that is not true. What we want to do is to make sure that when we open the trading system, that ordinary Americans benefit. In our country, about 30 percent of our growth has come from expanded trade. We have kept inflation down because we've kept our markets open and other people have been able to sell good quality products at lower prices in our markets. So we've had this huge growth with low inflation. I just want to make sure that ordinary people everywhere are benefited by the trading system and that the economy is not damaged by trading rules that could put short-term economic considerations over long-term environmental considerations. So I'm very sympathetic with a lot of the causes being raised by all the people that are there demonstrating. And since this has now become a global society with global communications, as well as a global economy, I think it was unrealistic to assume that for the next 50 years, trade could be like it's been for the last 50, primarily the province of business executives and political leaders. I think more people are going to demand to be heard, and I think that's a good thing. Deaths Due to Medical Errors
Source
govinfo.gov
