WHO'S FUNDING SENATOR GRASSLEY

War or no war senior Republican senator CHUCK GRASSLEY, chair of the Senate committee that oversees U.S. trade policy, is determined that the  United States must push ahead with a World Trade Organization complaint  against the European Union's GMO policy. "I don't understand why any American public official would mind offending the French and the Germans  right now," he says.

Clearly, for Senator Grassley there are some things even more important  than oil.

Claire Robinson

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THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - THE BEST DEMOCRACY MONEY CAN BUY!

 all info from http://www.opensecrets.org/

 CHUCK GRASSLEY (R - IA)
 Detailed Contributor Breakdown

 1997-2002 election cycle
 among the top contributors were
 Eli Lilly & Co    $13,000
 GlaxoSmithKline    $13,000

 Totals from Agribusiness $15,000
 Totals from Health (includes pharmaceutical companies)  $127,997

 CHUCK GRASSLEY (R - IA)
 Detailed Contributor Breakdown2000 ELECTION CYCLE

 Health (Pharmas) total $313,659
 includes
 Glaxo Wellcome Inc     $10,000
 Bayer Corp     $4,500
 Bristol-Myers Squibb     $4,000
 American Home Products     $3,000

 Crop Production/Processing total $68,400
 includes
 Cargill Inc     $4,000
 American Sugarbeet Growers Assn     $4,000

 Agricultural Services/Products    total $131,968
 includes
 Eli Lilly & Co     $5,000
 Pharmacia Corp (division of Monsanto)    $5,000
 Merck & Co     $4,000
 Novartis Corp     $4,000
 Dow Chemical     $3,000
 Pfizer Inc     $3,000

 Food Processing & Sales    total $56,270
 includes
 ConAgra Inc     $10,000

 Tobacco    total $12,166
 includes
 Philip Morris     $4,000
 RJ Reynolds Tobacco     $3,000

 * The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from  the organization's Political Action Committee, its individual members or  employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families.  Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.

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Sen. Grassley-US will file biotech complaint vs EU

Source - Reuters Securities News (Eng)
Thursday, February 13, 2003  03:39
By Richard Cowan
 
WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The United States intends to push ahead   with a World Trade Organization complaint against the European Union's   biotech policy, but only after it irons out "political problems" related to   allied support for a war in Iraq, a senior Republican senator said on   Wednesday.
 
The Bush administration recently appeared ready to lodge the WTO protest   in hopes of getting the EU to lift its moratorium on approving   genetically-modified goods.
 
But last week, during a visit to Washington, EU Farm Commissioner Franz   Fischler said he had been told by U.S. officials that the decision had been   put on hold.
 
Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, who chairs a Senate committee that   oversees U.S. trade policy, told reporters that the looming Iraq war was the   reason for the Bush administration delaying an announcement of a trade   complaint.
 
"I expect that until the political problems over the Iraq war with   Germany and France are over and Europe generally, there won't be a case   filed. But there will be a case filed."
 
Germany and France have been among the loudest European critics of   President George W. Bush's apparent plans to use military force against   Iraqi President Saddam Hussein soon.
 
Grassley, who ardently supports challenging the EU's biotech policy at   the WTO, noted that he had spoken to top White House staff and two Bush   Cabinet heads about the trade case.
 
CORN SHIPMENTS HAMPERED
 
But he stopped short of saying that any of those officials had assured   him the WTO complaint eventually would be filed.
 
Grassley represents a leading corn-producing state and U.S. corn   shipments to the EU have been hampered by its refusal to approve new biotech   products since 1998. An estimated $300 million in agricultural sales to the   EU are lost each year because of the EU policy.     Last month, Grassley urged the Bush administration "to get off its duff   and make a decision" to take legal steps against the EU moratorium.
 
Besides political problems related to Iraq, some U.S. officials also   have expressed concerns that filing a WTO complaint would further harden   European consumer attitudes against biotech goods.
 
Nonetheless, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick has been   outspoken in his desire to take the EU to the WTO.
 
But one source told Reuters last week that the State Department at the   last minute interceded to hold up the U.S. action out of concern about   European support for an Iraq war.
 
Grassley questioned the Bush administration's second thoughts, telling   reporters, "I don't understand why any American public official would mind   offending the French and the Germans right now."
 
Grassley said he wasn't expecting Germany to commit any troops or   financial resources to a possible war against Iraq. "I don't want one drop   of German blood, one German euro, all I want is German moral support," he   said.