Progress Reported In Lumber Talks

Canadian and U.S. trade negotiators made significant progress before ending a new round of talks Friday in a long-standing dispute over softwood lumber, representatives of both sides said.

“The talks were very positive,” said Dianne Wildman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office.

But Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said he still intends to press for a U.S. import tariff on Canadian shipments of the wood if a new agreement isn’t reached by the end of the month.

“I want to see the dispute over Canadian timber subsidies wrapped up in days, not weeks or months,” Baucus said.

U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor has raised the possibility of retaliating with an import tariff if Canada doesn’t act soon to slow the flow of cheap lumber into the United States.