World News 05-12-2003 Bush Dodges Steel War who: George W Bush what: Axes steel import tariffs to avoid conflict with Europe where: Washington DC when: Yesterday snippet: President George Bush last night avoided a major trade war, reckons The Scotsman, "as he bowed to international pressure and lifted the controversial tariffs on steel imports to the United States." Mr Bush`s climbdown over the tariffs, which has been called for by the EU since their introduction last year, should avert Europe`s threat of retaliatory tariffs on a range of US exports. UK Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt was delighted, saying the tariffs had caused huge damage to British steel companies and their lifting was a fillip to relations between Europe and America. Unable to resist a bit of self-congratulation, she told The Guardian that "we`ve played our hand very, very effectively indeed." While the President may have appeased Europeean industry, The Telegraph points out that he is risking the displeasure "of a key bloc of voters ahead of next year`s election." And if anyone was in any doubt whether the US were taking the issue seriously, the announcement follows "a week of debate in the White House over how best to `sell` the about-turn, a reflection of the sensitivity of one of the most difficult decisions of Mr Bush`s presidency." White House spokesman Scott McClellan insisted that "US steel jobs have been given another chance to compete" - a chance that the United Steelworkers of America didn`t really want, it seems, after they hit back accusing the President of betraying workers and "caving in to "European blackmail." The Telegraph suggests that if Mr Bush is to win back "steel states" of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, "there will be many more presidential trips to the Rust Belt in the next 11 months." [... more]

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