THE author of the opinion-page article ``Why Americans Can't Afford to Pull Back Now on GATT,'' Nov. 28, omits important aspects of the new GATT and its undemocratic World Trade Organization (WTO). Contrary to the author's defense, GATT is not ``purely an economic arrangement.'' Under GATT, bans on products of child labor, environmental degradation, and animal suffering are relegated to the status of ``technical barriers to free trade'' and can be destroyed by GATT.
Although GATT will not empower a WTO police, to ensure national compliance with international trade rules, it does establish a system where parties can unilaterally or en bloc impose retaliatory sanctions against an ``offending'' country. Must we accept a global trade scheme in which the US is forced to defend wise legislation enacted with popular public support against foreign-vested interests? Must we then pay fines or endure sanctions should such a defense fail? These are vital questions to ask when assessing the WTO; the answers point to the very reason why the new GATT is a threat to our sovereignty and should be rejected.
Adam M. Roberts Washington
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