U.S. Congress Can Pass Qualified Industrial Zones Bill In September

ANKARA (A.A) - 27.07.2002 - U.S. officials think that the lobbying activities of the Turkish industrialists for inclusion of textile products to the bill of Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) which are planned to be founded in Turkey to increase exports to the U.S., can negatively affect the adoption of the bill.
U.S. sources told A.A correspondent on Saturday that the lobbying activities of the Turkish industrialists can be misunderstood in an environment where there are groups in the U.S. who are against the bill.
The sources noted that the QIZ bill which aims to increase the exports from Turkey to the U.S. is not a magical solution for the Turkish economy, adding that the U.S. targets to give an opportunity to Turkey with the QIZ. They think that the bill has its best form for the moment.
The sources comment that the bill aims to open the U.S. markets to Turkish enterpreneurs, adding that it is up to Turkey to decide on the regions where QIZ will be founded and their number. The zones can be founded in Ankara, Istanbul or other regions.
American sources stressed that the U.S. wants the adoption of the bill as soon as possible, adding if everything goes right, the bill can be adopted by the U.S. Congress in September this year.
U.S. sources indicated that giving a privilege to the textile sector of Jordan, which has a very small economy compared to Turkey's, could cause unemployment in the U.S. textile sector.
U.S. sources indicated that they believed the QIZs would contribute to regional peace and remarked that they would also help Turkey's economy.
U.S. Strategu Work Group members who are from Turkey Exporters Board (TIM), Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges and Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) think that QIZ should not only cover high technology sectors but also labour intensive sectors.
TIM Chairman Oguz Satici earlier stated that QIZ would do no good to Turkey if they don't cover labour intensive sectors adding that they would try to explain this to the U.S. side.
Under the bill, besides textile, leather clothing and shoe sectors also cannot operatate in these zones.
Three senators from the U.S. Congress had presented a bill to the Senate proposing to add Turkey to a free trade agreement between the United States and Israel. If the U.S. Congress passes the bill, certain products manufactured in Turkey could be sold in the U.S. market without customs tax through the QIZs that will be established in Turkey.
Formation of the QIZs had first come up during Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's visit to the United States.
The U.S. Congress had started the QIZ program in order to deepen economic cooperation with Israel, Egypt and Jordan in 1996.