January 17, 2003	Friday	Ziqa'ad 13, 1423

BRUSSELS, Jan 16: The European Commission welcomed on Thursday a WTO ruling against a US law on anti-dumping duties, saying Washington must now repeal the law rapidly.

The EU executive expressed satisfaction after WTO experts upheld an earlier ruling against the US law allowing US industries to be paid anti-dumping duties levied on foreign competitors.

The dispute focuses on the so-called Byrd Amendment. It follows a complaint brought by the European Union, Canada and nine other members of the 144-member World Trade Organization.

“The EU and 10 other countries had maintained that this measure clearly flies in the face of the letter and the spirit of WTO law,” said European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy.

“This was our conviction from the outset and I am glad that (the WTO experts have) now clearly and definitely condemned this measure,” he said.—AFP