Pakistan to insist on more access to US, EU markets: President's visit early next month
By Sabihuddin Ghausi
KARACHI, Nov 16: Seeking greater access for Pakistan's goods to the US and European markets, President Pervez Musharaf likely to hold meetings with his American counterpart George Bush
, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac early next month.
According to some well-connected and knowledgeable businessmen in Karachi and Lahore, during his visit to South American and European capitals, beginning late this month, President Musharraf is expected to meet President Bush in Washington between Dec 6 and 9. He will be the first head of state from Asia to meet President Bush after his election for the second term.
President Musharraf is taking a team of representatives from top business houses with him on the visit. The team will do lobbying with the government and business circles particularly for seeking relief from the 13.1 per cent anti-dumping duty levied on Pakistani bed sheets by the European Union and also withdrawal of duties in the US and Europe. Pakistan demands relief under the general scheme of preferences (GSP) for its goods in European markets and at par treatment with those of Mexico, Canada and other American neighbouring countries in the American market.
"It is planned to be a vigorous marketing drive," head of a top business house in Lahore on Tuesday told Dawn on telephone. He made it clear that "hard economic issues pertaining to Pakistan's strategy of pushing up export volumes in the US and Europe" will dominate the discussions of President Musharraf with leaders of the countries he is visiting.
Pakistan wants to push its annual exports beyond $4 billion with the US and to about $4.5 to 5 billion with the EU. "Levy of duties and non- tariff barriers will not help achieve these objectives," said a businessman, who is likely to accompany President Musharraf on the visit.
A team of about a dozen top business houses of Lahore and Karachi is actively engaged in discussions with the government for the last several months to tackle the WTO issues and matters related to social compliance and environmental hazards being demanded by the European and American importers.
"The government has constituted two committees of businessmen drawn from the big business houses to tackle the anti-dumping and GSP issues in Europe and seek duty concession in the US" a business source confided. The members of these two committees will visit South America and Europe with the president.
Top business houses want government to link efforts of seeking access for Pakistan's goods to American and European markets with poverty alleviation. They want the EU and USA governments be convinced that giving greater access to our goods in their markets mean more jobs and more prosperity and that is the only effective way to curb fundamentalism.
The government should also promote a positive image of Pakistan and its people. "People in Pakistan never voted in majority for any religious or a fundamentalist party," said a business leader who wants the government to convince world that people in Pakistan have always voted for secular parties.
"People are hard working and honest and want to improve their lot," he said.
"An immediate decision taken by the government as a result of these discussions with the top business houses is the appointment of Mirza Qamar Baig as permanent trade negotiator".
Mirza Qamar Baig is Pakistan's envoy in Italy and had been commerce secretary.
The official notification for Baig's appointment has been held up for a vital decision that the government has still to take: whether the office of trade negotiator should be placed with the commerce or the textile ministry or it should be placed directly under the prime minister. "Once a decision in this regard is taken, the notification for Baig's appointment will be issued," said a business source in Lahore.
Top business houses are disenchanted with trade bodies like the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association which according to their perception have ceased to be "democratic and representative" business organization. But the business houses were equally uncomfortable with government's apathy and indifference towards the oncoming problems and issues expected to be confronted by them on the expiry of textile export quota regime from January 2005.
A series of meetings were held in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi and it was decided in principle to form a 'Pakistan Trade Forum'. The membership was to be very limited and every member was expected to contribute Rs1 million each at the beginning. The idea was to carry out intense lobbying in the Europe and US.
But the government also realized that time was running out and took suitable measures. An economic team was despatched to the US where it did lobbying and won editorial support of a section of the powerful American press.
