EUROPEAN COMMUNITY CRITICISES U.S TRADE MEASURES
  The European Community (EC) accused the
  United States of violating a political commitment to free trade
  through practices including a tax on imported gasoline and a
  customs user fee.
      EC ambassador Tran Van-Thinh made the formal charge to the
  surveillance body of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
  (GATT), GATT spokesman David Woods told reporters.
      Woods also said the EC was joined by the United States in
  criticising Brazil for extending its list of products for which
  import licenses have been temporarily suspended, so as to
  improve its balance of payments.
      The United States charged Japan with violating GATT rules
  by restricting imports of agricultural products through an
  import licensing system. The United States asked for
  consultations with Tokyo on the issue.
      Tran charged that the trade measures contravened a
  political commitment to halt and reverse trade barriers,
  pledged by ministers in Punta del Este last September.
      When ministers established the four year Uruguay round to
  negotiate freer trade in 13 areas, they set up the GATT
  surveillance body to monitor this commitment, known in GATT
  jargon as "standstill and rollback."
      Tran criticised Washington for the "superfund" tax on oil
  imports, a customs user fee, and the removal of a special
  machine tool (known as category FSC34) from its government
  procurement list for reasons of national security.
      Warren Lavorel, a U.S. Trade official, defended the
  policies, saying they did not violate GATT trade rules.
      The surveillance body will send a record of today's talks
  to the Trade Negotiating Committee, which oversees the round,
  to decide any further action on the charges.
      The oil tax and customs user fee have already been the
  subject of formal GATT dispute panels set up outside the
  Uruguay Round to rule on the legality of the practices.
      The ruling GATT Council yesterday adopted a dispute panel's
  report and ruled that the U.S. Superfund tax on oil imports
  breached trade rules. It called on Washington to modify its
  legislation.
      Mexico and Canada, along with the European Community,
  brought the dispute to the GATT last year.
  

