The Iraqi government is increasingly breaking down import barriers in an effort to facilitate more commerce with the U.S. and other countries, said Iraqi representatives during the March 5 inaugural meeting of the United States-Iraq Council on Trade and Investment in Washington D.C., according to a U.S. Trade Representative press release. The U.S. actively supports Iraqi accession to the World Trade Organization, the release said. U.S. goods exports to Iraq from January to December 2013 totaled $2 billion, the release said, while U.S. imports of Iraqi goods in that period registered $13.3 billion.

U.S. insistence on including strict intellectual property rights (IPR) protections in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations threatens to derail the talks, said two panelists at a Cato Institute event on March 5, as a raft of other unresolved issues continue to obstruct on-going efforts to seal a deal (see 14022504). Industry pressure on the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to include strict IPR provisions in a final pact also jeopardizes free trade principles that ultimately stand to benefit U.S. consumers, said panelist and Cato Institute trade policy analyst Bill Watson.

The Obama Administration supports increased Moldovan economic integration with Europe and the U.S., said U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman at the outset of a bilateral meeting with a Moldovan delegation that included Prime Minister Iurie Leanca on March 3 in Washington D.C., according to a USTR press release. The United States-Moldova Joint Commercial Commission is exploring ways to enhance bilateral trade, said the release.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will attend on March 5 a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement meeting with Iraqi Minister of Trade Khairullah Hassan Babakir in Washington D.C., the Office of the USTR said in a weekly schedule press release. Froman will also speak on March 6 at the CBP East Coast Trade Symposium, held at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler will speak on agriculture in the Trans-Pacific Partnership at the Virginia Governor’s Conference on Agricultural Trade on March 7. The three events will be open to the press.

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) removed Israel from the Special 301 Report Watch List of countries that fail to sufficiently protect intellectual property rights, said USTR Michael Froman in a Feb. 28 announcement. The Israeli passage of patent legislation fulfilled commitments the country made in a 2010 agreement with the U.S. pertaining to intellectual property, said USTR in a press release.

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman discussed on Feb. 27 increasing U.S.-Georgia bilateral trade with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Washington D.C., said USTR. The two countries share a High-Level Dialogue on Trade and Investment. “Froman emphasized that the High-Level Dialogue is intended to explore a range of options for increasing bilateral trade and investment,” said USTR. “He further emphasized that we will work to arrange discussions between technical experts and will reach out to private sector stakeholders for input on priority issues.”

President Barack Obama intends to nominate Robert Holleyman as deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the White House announced on Feb. 26 in a press release. Holleyman served as president of the Business Software Alliance for more than 20 years before stepping down in 2013 (here). If he is confirmed, Holleyman will replace outgoing deputy USTR Miriam Sapiro (see 14012302).

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is looking to fill the position of assistant U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for intellectual property and innovation, according to a job listing posted on Feb. 25. The position is currently held by Stan McCoy. A USTR spokeswoman did not respond for comment.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is asking for public comment on the recent South Korean request to establish a World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) in the on-going dispute over U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties on South Korean large residential washers. The South Korean WTO delegation requested the panel during a WTO DSB meeting in January (see 14011419). Comments must be submitted electronically via www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2013-0031, on or before March 31. USTR contact: Daniel Stirk at (202) 395-3150.

In order to be successful, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership must harmonize regulatory functions, create a paradigm for multilateral trade and expand European market access through removing tariffs and liberalizing the service sector, said Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro on Feb. 25, speaking at the National Association of Business Economists. "Because U.S. and EU tariffs are already relatively low, the second objective, greater regulatory compatibility, offers the greatest potential for gain. We’re under no illusion that this will be easy. Our differences are long-standing and deeply engrained,” said Sapiro. “Both sides will benefit if [they] are able to eliminate the burden of having to meet two different requirements with a single regulatory objective.”