US-NZ Council Commends Administration on Ratification of U.S./Australia Free Trade Agreement

WASHINGTON, DC, July 16 2004  - The United States - New Zealand Council today welcomed ratification of the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement by the House of Representatives and the Senate.  “The overwhelming passage in both houses underscores the broad understanding of the mutual benefit of free trade – to nations, businesses, workers, farmers, and consumers. The Administration, in particular Ambassador Bob Zoellick and his team at USTR, along with the Australian government are to be commended on a job well done, said US-NZ Council President, John Mullen, in a statement.

 “Now we should complete the job and extend the mutual benefit by including New Zealand,” Mullen said.  “Council members have strongly supported the Australia agreement and believe the large margin of passage bolsters their views that including New Zealand in an FTA makes good business sense for US companies and that it can be achieved in the near term with similar levels of support.  The comprehensive Australia-New Zealand economic partnership through the CER (Closer Economic Relations) Agreement effectively creates a single market.  US companies usually treat Australia and New Zealand as a single market and often as a gateway to Asia.  Had New Zealand been added to the Australian agreement, it would immediately have grown the market by 16 percent”.

 “With the US ratification of the Australia FTA now completed, the US-NZ Council, on behalf of our members and the ever-growing list of US companies that have joined our FTA coalition, urges the US Government to move expeditiously on initiating FTA negotiations with New Zealand.  Doing so will ensure not only that trade opportunities are maximized among the two CER partners and the United States, but also that no harmful trade and investment diversion from New Zealand will result”.

 “New Zealand is a long-time friend and ally of the United States and a good trading partner.  It shares our democratic values and our views on the importance of open markets.  The natural next step in the US-NZ relationship is the initiation of negotiations on an FTA”.

 The US-NZ Council, headquartered in Washington DC, is a private non-profit organization.  Its mission is to foster and strengthen relations between the two countries in all areas.  A key focus of the Council's work is to encourage the expansion of trade and commercial ties between the two countries.

Council members include many of America’s leading companies with business interests in New Zealand, including Boeing, BlueScope Steel Americas, Microsoft Corporation, EDS, Ag Processing (AGP), Edison Mission Energy, Exxon Mobil, IBM, International Paper, Pratt & Whitney and Weyerhaeuser Company.  

 

 

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