November 24,1999

Roth, Moynihan to Lead Congressional Delegation to the WTO Ministerial Meetings in Seattle

WASHINGTON -- Senate Finance Committee Chairman William V. Roth, Jr. (R-DE) today announced that he has been appointed by the leadership of the Senate, along with Ranking Member Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), to lead a delegation of Senators to the World Trade Organization's Ministerial in Seattle. The Ministerial is the biennial gathering of the WTO's highest officials, the trade ministers of the member countries, and will take place from November 30, to December 3, 1999. The Ministerial Body is expected to launch a new round of trade negotiations in Seattle.

"I am honored and delighted to have been asked by the Senate leadership, along with Senator Moynihan, to lead the delegation of Senators who will be attending the WTO Ministerial in Seattle," Roth stated. "I intend on conveying the unequivocal message that the Senate has sent on free and open trade this year to the delegations present at the WTO. That message has been embodied by overwhelming votes in favor of opening markets with Africa and the Caribbean, saying no to quotas on steel imports, and upholding the President's continuation of normal trade relations with China.

"I want to ensure that the WTO stays focused on market access in the next round. That's what this institution was created to achieve and that is the strongest contribution it can make to our economic future."