Diplomats Enjoy Breath Of Fresh Air
Spokane businessmen looking at export possibilities might want to consider bottling the local air, at least Thursday’s variety.
South Africa’s Consul General in Los Angeles, Hennie DeKlerk, said he was having difficulty adjusting to its purity after inhaling Southern California fumes.
And League of Arab State Chief Representative Klahid Abdalla, normally posted in humid Washington, D.C., said he tried to adapt by turning off the air conditioner in his hotel room. He ended up with a sore throat.
DeKlerk, by the way, is second cousin to former South African President F.W. DeKlerk.
North America has NAFTA, but it doesn’t have a monopoly on multinational economic treaties. Almost all Latin American countries are involved in free-trade agreements with neighbors, many of which entitle foreigners to invest in several countries simultaneously. Among the treaties in South America:
Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru belong to “El Grupo Andino” (The Andean Group), a loose alliance of more than 100,000 business associates.
Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela - the largest economic powers of Latin America - have a barrier-free trade agreement called “G3,” a federation of about 150,000 investors.
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay trade duty-free within the “Mercosur” group, which accesses more than 190 million consumers in an area twice the size as the European Economic Community with a gross domestic product of $1 trillion.
Ever heard of “karaoke politics?” Japan Consul General Masaki Saito used the term in referring to the rapid-fire election of three different prime ministers between 1993 and 1994.
Tuned-out politicians, he said, get up on stage and sing a song that is not necessarily theirs.
Local business owners considering exporting their products abroad needn’t fret over foreign tax systems, stocks or duty regulations. A counselor at the International Resource Center of Spokane will be happy to explain investment prospects abroad.
The center gleans information from 15 federal agencies and has a library of 100,000 documents with names of importers, foreign sources and economic reports. The department sponsors international trade seminars and publishes the Spokane Area Exporters Directory, which is sent to worldwide U.S. Embassy Commercial Libraries.
For details, visit the Department of International Development on the sixth floor of Spokane City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Or call 625-6190.
, DataTimes MEMO: See related story under the headline: Building bridges