WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. negotiators played down prospects for a breakthrough this week in the latest round of long-running talks with South Korea over cutting tariffs and other trade barriers.
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler said Sunday that more than 200 negotiators from each side would be working through Wednesday in Washington, hoping to bridge the differences that have stymied a deal.
'Clearly this is the week to quicken our pace, focus and do everything we can do,' Cutler said.
But, she added, she did not expect a final agreement to be announced during this round of negotiations.
Previous talks have come up short over differences in key sectors, including Seoul's push for the U.S. to lessen the chance of anti-dumping tariffs against South Korean products.
A deal, if successful, would be the biggest for the U.S. since the North American Free Trade Agreement of 1993, which covers Mexico and Canada.
Time is running out, however, if the U.S. and South Korea are to take advantage of special presidential powers that are seen as making U.S. lawmakers' ratification easier for the White House.
President Bush's trade promotion authority -- which means he can submit a deal to Congress for a straight yes-no vote without amendments -- expires on July 1.
Various administrative and legal requirements mean an agreement needs to be wrapped up 90 days before that for 'fast track' powers to apply.
Any deal will need to be approved by lawmakers in both countries, though votes may not come for months.
The two governments say a deal will add to the $72 billion a year in trade the countries already do and boost economic growth.
Hanging over the talks, however, is a spat involving trade in U.S. beef. This trade has been suspended for almost three years after mad cow disease was found in the United States in 2003.
South Korea agreed last year to resume imports of boneless beef, but the first three shipments that arrived were turned away after bone fragments were found.
Talks on the issue this week failed to bridge gaps, South Korea's Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said in a statement Friday.
Cutler last month cautioned South Korea that there will be no free trade deal unless the country fully reopens its market to U.S. beef. She said Sunday that talks to resolve the issue were separate from the ongoing free trade negotiations.
South Korea was the third-largest market for U.S. beef before the 2003 ban.
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