|
U.S. to ground Concorde
|
 |
March 4, 1999: 8:35 a.m. ET
Trade battle heats up as U.S. seeks to ban Europe's supersonic jet
|
LONDON (CNNfn) - The United States has threatened to ban supersonic jet Concorde from its airspace in a move that raises the stakes in the current bout of transatlantic trade friction.
The aircraft is just the latest target in a bitter war of words between Europe and the U.S. that threatens to destabilize world trade.
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to bar the Anglo-French aircraft from operating in the US. The bill, not yet approved by the U.S. Senate, is in retaliation for a European ruling that would ban older U.S. airplanes from landing in Europe even if they have been retrofitted with "hush kit" devices that reduce airplane engine noise.
The Commerce Department estimated that the proposed EU legislation would damage sales of U.S. products such as jet engines worth some $1 billion.
In another trade dispute with the European Union, the U.S. has imposed a 100 percent tariffs on 15 types of European products to retaliate against what American officials call "discriminatory" banana import laws. The European goods affected range from Louis Vuitton handbags to Pecorino cheese and Parma ham.
European Trade Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan said the American action was "unacceptable and unlawful."
-- from staff and wire reports
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
