A Conduit for Russian Gas, Tangled in Europe’s Conflicts

South Stream Pipeline Project in Bulgaria Is Delayed

NEW YORK TIMES By STANLEY REEDJUNE 30, 2014 (Click here to complete new)

U.S. Catfish Program Could Stymie Pacific Trade Agreement

THE NEW YORK TIMES (By RON NIXONJUNE 27, 2014) (Click here to original new)

Catfish from a farm in Vietnam are unloaded off boats to be processed for export. Credit Justin Mott for The New York Times

 

WASHINGTON — Ten Asian and Pacific nations have told the Office of the United States Trade Representative that the Agriculture Department’s catfish inspection program violates international law, and their objections could hamper Obama administration efforts to reach a major Pacific trade agreement by the end of next year.

They say that the inspection program is a trade barrier erected under the guise of a food safety measure and that it violates the United States’ obligations under World Trade Organization agreements. Among the countries protesting are Vietnam and Malaysia, which are taking part in talks for the trade agreement — known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership — and have the ability to derail or hold up those negotiations.