NAFTA panel sides with Mexico on access dispute

MEXICO CITY (Dec. 1, 2000) — A panel of arbitrators has ruled against the U.S. policy of refusing to allow Mexican trucks long-distance access to the United States, according to news agency reports.

The panel, which deliberates under terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, reportedly agreed with a Mexican protest against the U.S. policy of limiting the movement of Mexican trucks in the United States, said Bloomberg News and Reuters.

The panel’s report will not be formally released for another two weeks. The release of the decision will be followed by 30 days of consultations among the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

If there still is no resolution, Mexico would be able to retaliate under the terms of NAFTA, which could include monetary penalties.

The dispute began in 1998, when the Mexican government lodged a formal complaint against the unilateral U.S. decision to renege on a NAFTA provision that called for open truck services among states along the border in 1995. The U.S. also did not comply with the NAFTA provision that called for open access to Mexican trucks throughout the U.S. in January 2000.

The Clinton administration’s rationale for the moves has been safety — Mexican trucks and drivers are held to be less safe than their U.S. counterparts. Equally important in the decision, however, has been Teamsters union concern about the loss of jobs to lower-paid Mexican workers.