[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 98 (Thursday, July 15, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H5896-H5897]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




UNITED STATES-MOROCCO FREE TRADE AGREEMENT--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 
               OF THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC. NO. 108-201)

  The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following message 
from the President of the United States; which was read and, together 
with the accompanying papers, without objection, referred to the 
Committee on Ways and Means and ordered to be printed:

To the Congress of the United States:
  I am pleased to transmit legislation and supporting documents 
prepared by my Administration to implement the United States-Morocco 
Free Trade Agreement (the ``Agreement'' or the ``FTA''). This Agreement 
enhances our bilateral relationship with a longstanding partnership in 
the North Africa and Middle East region. The Agreement will benefit the 
people of the United States and Morocco, illustrating to other 
developing countries the advantage of open markets.
  This Agreement is a strong demonstration of my Administration's 
commitment to opening markets, leveling the playing field, and 
expanding opportunities for American workers, manufacturers, 
businesses, farmers, and consumers. In negotiating this

[[Page H5897]]

Agreement, my Administration was guided by the negotiating objectives 
set out in the Trade Act of 2002. The Agreement will expand Morocco's 
market for U.S. manufactured goods, agricultural products, services, 
and investment. As soon as this Agreement enters into force, tariffs 
will be eliminated on virtually all manufactured goods traded between 
our countries.
  The Agreement provides U.S. producers of beef, poultry, wheat, corn, 
soybeans, and other agriculture products with increased access to 
Morocco's market, while complementing Morocco's agriculture reform 
program. In addition, the Agreement provides the opportunity for U.S. 
producers to adjust to increased imports from Morocco, if necessary.
  New opportunities for U.S. services firms will be opened, U.S. 
investment will be protected, and U.S. companies will be able to 
participate in government procurement opportunities on the same basis 
as Moroccan firms. This Agreement has some of the strongest 
intellectual property protections ever contained in a U.S. trade 
agreement with a developing country.
  The United States and Morocco have agreed to cooperate on environment 
and Labor issues and to establish mechanisms supporting those efforts. 
Negotiation of this Agreement has promoted adoption of a new labor law 
in Morocco. This Agreement has also helped lead to improved domestic 
environmental laws in Morocco, and a number of additional cooperative 
projects have been identified for future work.
  The approval of this Agreement will be another important step in 
implementing our plan for a broader Middle East Free Trade Area. 
Indeed, this Agreement offers the United States an opportunity to 
encourage economic reform in a moderate Muslim nation, as we have done 
with the Jordan FTA and the recently concluded Bahrain FTA. Leaders in 
Morocco support a reformist and tolerant vision that includes free 
parliamentary elections, the sale of state-owned businesses, the 
encouragement of foreign investment that can be connected to broad-
based development, and better protection of the rights of women and 
workers. It is strongly in the interests of the United States to 
embrace these reforms and do what we can to encourage them. Passing 
this Agreement is a critical step in that direction.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, July 15, 2004.

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