International trade talks in Great Falls draw little guys, heavy hitters – Intent of negotiations is to lower trade barriers between U.S., Thailand

Barbara Weisel, the United States’ chief negotiator in the Free Trade Agreement talks with Thailand, spends a lot of her time listening to bureaucrats and elected officials.

This week, she’s getting face time with some of the little guys.

Great Falls is the host city for the fourth round of the U.S.-Thailand trade talks this week.

Teams are working to draft a bilateral agreement that chips away existing trade barriers and opens markets to increase business between the two countries.

There are plenty of industry heavy hitters in town to make their cases, such as the American Sugar Alliance and the American International Automobile Dealers Association.

Later this week, Weisel and her peers will sit across the table from their Thai peers with initial offers on what markets to open up, as well as how much and how fast to open those doors.

But Monday, negotiators were pleased to have the chance to talk to regular folks, the ones whose small businesses and jobs could be bolstered or battered by new trade rules.

"We don’t have the opportunity to talk to people first hand very often and hear how they will be affected by the decision we are making," Weisel told a crowd of Montana business people gathered Monday morning at the Heritage Inn.

By JO DEE BLACK
Tribune Staff Writer

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050712/NEWS01/507120302/1002

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Pros, cons of free trade with Thailand heard

By Bill Vander Weele
Sidney Herald

Officials estimate there are still about 1,600-1,700 elm trees in Sidney.

Sidney Herald

Questions regarding opening up the market for sugar imports was a feature of Monday’s teleconference involving Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and members of the Thailand delegation.

Baucus invited the delegation to discuss free trade opportunities, trade negotiations and trade issues during a conference in Great Falls Monday morning. Via teleconference, the meeting was shown in Sidney, Scobey and Havre.

"I think that it’s important that our concerns at home are known and known early," Baucus said.

According to the Great Falls Tribune, Thailand imported $6.3 billion worth of goods from the United States in 2004. Top imports included electric circuits and switches, office machines, optic, photo and medical equipment. In 2004, the United States imported $17.57 billion of goods from Thailand including electric parts for telephones, television receivers through monitors and projectors, office machine parts and automatic data processors.

Steve Sing, general manager of Sidney Sugars, believes Thailand is the second largest exporter of sugar in the world. "So it could affect us," Sing said. "The country exports sugar into the United States."

Full Story: http://www.sidneyherald.com/articles/2005/07/12/news/news02.txt