Norway calls for respect of WTO rules as U.S. threatens with tariffs

OSLO, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Norway said on Friday that rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) should be respected, as the Nordic country will not be exempted from new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium.

"We expect the WTO rules to be respected and that Norway is to be treated equally in this case," Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Soreide told news agency NTB.

"Norwegian exports are no threat to the United States. We will convey this clearly to the U.S. today," she said.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month announced the plans to impose a 25-percent tariff on imported steel and a 10-percent tariff on aluminum, triggering criticism and outrage from its trading partners around the world.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Thursday Washington would grant the European Union (EU) and six other countries a temporary exemption from the steel and aluminum tariffs.

It was confirmed by the Norwegian foreign ministry Friday morning that Norway is not on the list, as the six countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and South Korea, according to the local newspaper Aftenposten.

"It is serious and worrying that the United States has decided to introduce trade barriers for aluminum and steel," Soreide said.

The United States now "sows doubt about respect for the multilateral rule-based trading system," she said. "We expect WTO rules to be respected by all WTO members." Enditem