U.S. action in Japan whale dispute appears on hold

November 14, 2000
Web posted at: 11:46 AM HKT (0346 GMT)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Further U.S. action in a dispute over Japan's expanded whale hunt appeared to be on hold on Monday ahead of President Bill Clinton's meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori later this week.

As of late afternoon, a report detailing what further steps the Clinton administration would take still had not been delivered to Congress and White House aides could not say with certainty when it would be completed.

"We're working very hard to get it done expeditiously," a spokeswoman for the National Security Council said. "We're doing our best to get it done in timely manner."

The aide stuck to that line when asked if the report was delayed so it would not come out before Clinton's meeting with Mori on Thursday. "When it's done, it'll go," she said.

Both leaders will be in Brunei on Wednesday and Thursday for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Other U.S. officials also said it was still possible the report could come out this week.

In September, Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta certified under U.S. law that Japan's expanded hunt this year undermined international conservation efforts.

Clinton has already decided to deny Japan future access to fishing rights in U.S. waters.

But Mineta's certification also triggered a 60-day review process that ended on Monday to determine whether to take additional action.

The 1978 Fisherman's Protective Act gives Clinton authority in the dispute to block imports of any products from Japan, if the administration determines that would not violate World Trade Organization rules.

Clinton must notify Congress of any further action he has decided to take. If he chooses not to ban imports of Japanese fish products or wildlife products, he must explain that decision in his report.

In a Sept. 13 memo to agencies, Clinton did not ask for a list of Japanese products that the United States could block in the dispute.

Instead, he focused on issues such as the importance of whaling industry to the Japan's economy and the adequacy of U.S. rules to prevent imports of Japanese whale products.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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