International Affairs Committee Deals with Major International Issues

By Kay Scrimger

Led by its chair, Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf, the International Affairs Committee met on January 27.

U. S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky on China, WTO, Africa Trade

The first speaker, Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, U. S. Trade Representative, continued her Luncheon Plenary remarks regarding the importance of normalizing trade relations with China. Such a process, she emphasized, will not only bring economic development, peace and stability to the region, but will contribute significantly to the United States’ “own security and economic growth,” thus positively affecting U. S. cities as well as mayors and their citizens.

Ambassador Barshefsky also stressed that normalizing trade relations between the U.S. and China will contribute positively to the “development of a sustainable rule of law in China,” and will “open the Chinese economy to an inflow of Western norms and information.”

The Ambassador noted that the Africa Trade Initiative is very important for spurring additional economic growth in Africa and thanked the U. S. Conference of Mayors for its strong and effective support of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act.

Regarding the World Trade Organization’s November meeting in Seattle, Ambassador Barshefsky indicated that, protesters aside, part of the difficulty with the meeting was the “inflexibility of countries who had indicated before the meeting” that they were interested in moving on certain issues but who demonstrated inflexibility at the meeting itself. “Deadlock occurred because countries did not take responsibility in moving forward,” she observed.

It is important that the WTO continue to work to open markets, review issues of transparency regarding decision-making, reexamine the dispute settlement process, put in place negotiations on agriculture and services, and address issues of labor and the environment, she said. The Ambassador also noted that among the most important issues her office will be addressing this year is the Free Trade Area for the Americas for 2005.

Executive Director J. Thomas Cochran Reports on U. S. Conference of Mayors’ CITIES/2000 Initiative

Conference of Mayors’ Executive Director J. Thomas Cochran discussed the Conference’s CITIES/2000 initiative, approved by the Executive Committee at the January 1998 Winter Meeting. In Mr. Cochran words, “Through launching CITIES/2000, our mayors are aggressively taking our Best Practices effort into the international setting. We believe that mayors and cities of this country are doing what mayors in other countries want and need to know about.”

Mr. Cochran noted that under CITIES/2000, Conference of Mayors President and Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb led the organization’s first-ever mayoral mission to Africa in May 1999. Similar missions have also been fielded to Florence, Italy, where twelve U.S. mayors met with their Italian counterparts in the fall 1999, and in Japan, where a mayoral mission organized by Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill, met with the Japanese Association of City Mayors in Tokyo in November 1999.

Cochran stressed that “Through CITIES/2000 we are looking to provide opportunities for our mayors to become more engaged in the global economy.” He noted that because there is relatively little, if any, financial help from the U. S. Government for such trips, the Conference of Mayors faces the imperative of fund-raising from outside sources for each such mission on a case-by-case basis.

Cochran called for input from the International Affairs Committee to build upon and strengthen the Conference’s CITIES/2000 effort, to provide overall and thoughtful guidance so that such missions will not be ad hoc and so that the initiative will be a strong one.

He requested that the International Affairs Committee, working with staff, prepare a report on this matter for consideration at the 2000 Leadership Meeting in the fall. Chair Oberndorf and the members of the committee responded enthusiastically to the idea. “We will look forward to working with you, Tom, as the International Affairs Committee moves ahead on our report for the Leadership meeting,” Mayor Oberndorf said.

“Africa: The Last Frontier for Development”: Assistant U. S. Trade Representative for Africa Rosa Whitaker

Assistant U. S. Trade Representative for Africa Rosa Whitaker thanked the members of the committee, Mayor Webb, and all the members of the Conference of Mayors for the their strong individual and collective support for the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act.

“Our Africa trade policy is not just about charity,” she stressed. Rather, “Only one percent of our trade is with Africa. Africa is the last frontier for development.” Assistant U. S. Trade Representative Whitaker expressed appreciation to the mayors and the Conference of Mayors for recognizing the “economic and moral imperative” of the need in Africa and for the organization’s partnership in this “historic journey” to bring about more trade as well as democratic and economic development on that continent.

Herbert Tyson, Director, U. S. Department of State, Intergovernmental Affairs: “American Diplomacy Belongs on the Short List of Our Budget Priorities”

Detailing the various resources of the U. S. Department of State for mayors and their cities and inviting mayors to contact his office, Intergovernmental Affairs Director Herbert Tyson of the Department of State provided mayors with an overview of his department’s international affairs resources.

Director Tyson noted that the State Department consults with local government, business leaders and others to ensure that their views are taken into account, works hard to safeguard the U.S. intellectual property rights, aggressively promotes anti-corruption efforts and quoted Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, “International diplomacy and programs constitute America’s first line of defense against threats to the security and prosperity of our people.” For mayors wishing to contact Mr. Tyson’s office, the phone number is (202) 647-5171.

Dr. Allan Rosenbaum Announces 6th Inter-American Meeting of Mayors, June 28-30, 2000, Miami

Dr. Allan Rosenbaum, Director of the Institute for Public Management and Community Service at Florida International University, announced two upcoming meetings organized by his Institute which will be held in Miami — a meeting of the Brazilian Association of Mayors in March 2000 and the Sixth Inter-American Conference of Mayors, June 28-30, 2000, sponsored by Miami-Dade County and co-hosted by Miami/Dade Mayor Alex Penelas and Commissioner Javier Souto. For more information about these, contact Dr. Rosenbaum or Cristina A. Rodriguez-Acosta (305) 348-1271; FAX (305) 348-1273; or E-mail: rosenbau@fiu.edu , or lagierc@fiu.edu