RUSSIA AND THE USA SETTING CONSULTATIONS OVER METAL TRADE
AWAY








MOSCOW, 13 March.  / RIA "Nowosti" rIA-"Nowosti"-Korrespondent
Alexander Iwastschenko /. the Ministry for economic development and
trade of the RF will address in the current week to the US commercial
section suggestions over the accommodation of a new round of
consultations to questions of the Russian metallurgical export to the
American market.

A avowed source in the Russian Ministry, which underlined that the
Russian page plans to take up the consultations in the middle of
April.

Moscow suggests treating questions which are connected with the
all-global agreement between Russia and the USA over metal trade,
which was signed in the middle of July 1999 in Paris for 5 years.  In
the present agreement Bedingugnen for the Russian export of 15 types
of metallurgical products are agreed upon to the American market.
Among other things the Russian hot-rolled steel was supplied to
agreement with the present agreement to the USA.  In the year 2000
Russia could supply 325,000 t hot-rolled steel to the American market.
But according to expert estimations the real export scope is many
lower in previous year.

At present the export of the Russian hot-rolled steel froze into the
USA because of prices.  Moscow explains itself to supply ready, in the
year 2001 465,000 t hot-rolled steel to the USA, and suggests to
Americans, steel not only to the extent of the avowed ratios to buy
but also to the extent which was not implemented in previous year.

The preceding round of the Russian-American consultations over metal
trade took place at the end of of December previous yearly in Geneva
and led to no concrete results.