U.S. pressure on Europe to lift poultry ban threatens to backfire
American pressure for a quick end to a decade-long Europe-wide ban on U.S. poultry imports threatened to backfire Thursday after European officials contradicted claims that the dispute was almost resolved. C. Boyden Gray, the U.S. special envoy on European affairs, said Thursday that the United States considered that a "fix will be in progress" as the two sides hold a low-level meeting next week to discuss trans-Atlantic trade issues, citing assurances that he said were provided as long ago as last June by the European Union's industry commissioner, Günther Verheugen. "I have no reason to doubt what they say," said Gray. <more> May 8, 2008 International Herald Tribune