Trade Accord -- Or Discord? Circle These Critical Dates.

ByJohn S. McClenahen The U.S. and the 15-nation European Community are expected, again, to exchange quite different views on bananas and hormone-enhanced beef when new U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy meet in early March. A Free Trade Agreement for the Americas, covering the U.S. and 33 other countries, is on the agenda for the April 21-22 Summit of the Americas in Quebec City. A preliminary ruling on the acceptability of last year's U.S. legislation creating an alternative to tax-exempting Foreign Sales Corporations is expected from the World Trade Organization by May 21. And by July 1, when it turns over the rotating presidency of the European Commission to Belgium, Sweden hopes to finalize accession dates for six of the 13 countries seeking EU membership.