ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 3, 1996 TAG: 9601030040
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: THOMAS J. DONOHUE
LAST MONTH, more than two years of intense diplomacy, tough negotiations and extensive planning by thousands of U.S. and Mexican trucking firms were wiped away by two days of presidential politics.
Dec. 18 was supposed to be the day U.S. and Mexican trucks would be allowed to operate more freely in each other's border states under the carefully negotiated North American Free Trade Agreement. This was an important step in the long road to the creation of a North American free trade zone aimed at bringing greater prosperity to the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Instead of honoring the treaty, however, the Clinton administration buckled under at the last minute to the dictates of presidential and border state politics: It has decided to delay many of the trucking provisions of NAFTA indefinitely.
The professed reason for the delay is a concern about the safety of Mexican carriers operating on American soil. When President Clinton courageously fought for passage of NAFTA in 1993, he made certain to protect highway safety and the environment in carefully constructed agreements. It has always been clear that Mexican truckers operating in the United States would be required to meet all U.S. safety standards. And a new, aggressive enforcement program is in place to guarantee compliance.
After displaying leadership two years ago, it is sad that the Clinton administration has caved in to the fear tactics of Democratic political operatives, so-called safety advocates and the Teamsters union.
Administration officials argue that they are not ``pulling back'' from NAFTA, but that's exactly what they are doing. The U.S. government will accept applications from Mexican truckers to operate more freely within U.S. border states - as promised in NAFTA - but it is refusing to approve any of those applications until ``consultations'' with Mexico on so-called ``safety and environmental'' issues are completed on an even more vague timetable.
This reversal undermines America's international credibility and our long-term economic growth. The administration's action pulls a single thread from the intricately woven cloth of NAFTA that could ultimately unravel the entire accord. It sets a bad precedent. Now that the administration has reneged on the trucking provision, maybe it will renege on other NAFTA provisions dealing with telecommunications, banking and other important sectors. The U.S. action already has prompted the Mexicans to toughen their stance in negotiations over other disputed features of NAFTA.
Trucking companies have been hit particularly hard. Since the day NAFTA was signed into law, the trucking industry has been working intensively to prepare for the implementation of the agreement and the opportunities it would bring. Truckers created the North American Transportation Alliance with counterparts in Mexico and Canada to help governments implement NAFTA in the safest and most efficient manner.
Now, thousands of companies on both sides of the border that have invested capital and worked hard to develop cross-border relationships are out on a limb. Having been personally involved in extensive talks with our Mexican counterparts throughout the NAFTA process, I always had my concerns that as we approached the Dec. 18 date there would be a pullback - but by the Mexicans, not the United States.
NAFTA will be good for the United States and Mexico if it is allowed to be implemented. The Clinton administration's recent actions have cast doubt on the future of the treaty. It is ironic that the same president who is courageously putting his political future at risk by sending American troops to Bosnia is having so much trouble finding the political courage to honor an agreement that will create jobs in America.
Thomas Donohue is president and chief executive officer of American Trucking Associations in Alexandria, Va. He wrote this for the Journal of Commerce.
- Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services
LENGTH: Medium: 74 linesby CNB