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U.S., Korean beef talks soon
SEOUL (AP)--South Korea and the United States will hold talks next week to discuss Seoul's rejection of American beef shipments for containing banned bone fragments, the two governments said Feb. 2. The two-day meeting was scheduled to be held in Seoul beginning Feb. 7, South Korea's Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said in a press release. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul also confirmed the plans. The meeting, described as a "technical consultation," was requested by U.S. officials and comes as the two sides are at odds over the bone fragment issue, which South Korea fears could potentially harbor bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The U.S. continues to negotiate with several countries over restrictions on beef imports. The beef issue has emerged as a key sore point between the two countries, which are seeking to forge a free trade agreement. Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler said in January that the proposed free trade deal would not be achieved unless South Korea fully reopened its market to American beef. South Korea allowed the resumption of imports late last year on a limited basis--boneless meat only from cattle younger than 30 months--on the grounds that some material inside bones could be dangerous to consume and that younger animals are safe from BSE . But South Korean quarantine authorities returned all three shipments to the U.S. for containing the tiny bone fragments. South Korea barred U.S. beef in December 2003 after the first reported U.S. case of BSE . Before the ban, South Korea had been the third-largest market for U.S. beef. 1 Star WK 2/12/07 23 B Date: 2/6/07
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