Bush’s man familiar with N.Z.

Press, 16 December 1988, Page 17

Bush’s man familiar with N.Z.

By TOM BRIDGMAN of NZPA in Washington The President-elect, Mr George Bush’s naming of Mr Clayton Yeutter as his Agriculture Secretary is a good move for New Zealand because of the close understanding Mr Yeutter has for trade issues affecting the country. Mr Yeutter, now the United States Trade Representative, has strong personal ties to the Minister of External Relations and Trade, Mr Moore, the two working together on reform of agricultural trade under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

The appointment of Mr Yeutter brings a continuity to United States negotiations in the Uruguay Round of the G.A.T.T, the mid-term review for which was held in Montreal last week, and also means New Zealand will have a key official in the Bush Administration aware of concerns over lamb and beef imports and other issues. Mr Yeutter, who holds a doctorate in agricultural economics, espouses free trade and wants the European Community to accept the need for the eventual elimination of farm subsidies and other trade distorting measures if world trade in farm products is to expand.

However, he is a hard bargainer who could be expected to lead the United States into trade wars with the E.C. and Japan if necessary to get his desired results.