Jan 2016 Wednesday 13th
posted by James Tweedie in World
THE South African Communist Party (SACP) warned yesterday that the US was using a unilateral trade policy to dictate to Pretoria.
SACP spokesman Alex Mashilo said that Washington was using the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) to threaten South Africa.
He expressed surprise that the US expected South Africa to abide by Agoa - an act of the US Congress and not a bilateral trade pact.
In November the US crossed South Africa off the list of southern African countries that enjoy preferential trade terms under the act because it refused to accept deliveries of chicken meat that failed to meet local safety standards.
Mr Mashilo said that the imports endangered not only South Africa`s livestock and poultry, but the South Africans who might eat them.
"We do not want food poisoning in South Africa," he said.
Mr Mashilo said that Agoa was hypocritical, prohibiting state ownership and subsidies by other countries despite the US subsidising its own farming sector with guaranteed purchases of produce - often then dumped on overseas markets.
"We have fought for our country`s democratic national sovereignty over too many years for us to simply hand it over on a silver platter to foreign influence," he said.
The SACP reiterated its support for the ANC government`s "principled stand" in negotiations with Washington over the tainted meat and broader trade issues.
In October the US suspended Burundi from Agoa due to violence between government forces and the opposition that has claimed over 200 lives.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-4282-South-Africa-US-is-dictating-to-Pretoria,-says-SACP