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SKorea, U.S. end two days of beef talks without deal
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)--South Korea and the United States ended two days of beef trade talks without any agreement Oct. 12, as the sides remained at odds over Washington's call for a greater access to the Asian nation, an official said. The U.S. demanded South Korea fully open its beef market, while the Asian nation insisted it will maintain quarantine regulations citing concerns over bovine spongiform encephalopathy, said an official at the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, who participated in the talks. "There were still differences and we confirm them from the talks," said the official, requesting anonymity, citing a ministry policy. The talks came on the heels of the decision by South Korea to suspend all American beef imports last week after inspectors found banned bones in a recent shipment. South Korea agreed last year to import only boneless U.S. meat from cattle less than 30 months old--believed to be safer from the disease--partially lifting an almost three-year ban imposed on American beef after the brain-wasting disease was discovered in the U.S. The U.S. has pressed for a greater opening of the South Korean beef market, citing a ruling by the World Organization for Animal Health this year that the U.S. was a "controlled risk nation," a category that means countries can export beef irrespective of the animal's disease. The U.S. has said the ruling is a proof that American beef is safe. Scientists believe BSE spreads when farmers feed cattle recycled meat and bones from infected animals. The disease is also believed to be linked to the rare but fatal brain-wasting human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. South Korea was the third-largest foreign market for American beef before it banned U.S. imports in December 2003. Date: 10/18/07
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