BELGIAN SAYS EC WOULD REACT TO TEXTILE BILL

  Belgian Foreign Trade Minister Herman
  De Croo said if Congress passed legislation curbing world
  textile imports the only way the European Community (EC) could
  react was to retaliate.
      De Croo said at a news conference "if you limit textile
  imports, you will re-orient textiles to Europe."
      And that he said would trigger EC taxes on U.S. goods.
      Congress passed a textile bill two years ago, but it was
  vetoed by President Reagan on grounds that curbing imports to
  protect the domestic textile industry would trigger retaliation
  U.S. trading partners.
      A similar bill has been introducted this year, in a
  Congress with a bigger Democratic majority and with a President
  weakened by the Iran scandal.
      De Croo, here for talks with Administration officials and
  Congressmen, said if a textile bill passed, "the only way we
  could react would be retaliation, and it would cause more
  retaliation, which is not a good way to deal with problems."
      He said if a textile bill was enacted, "we will impose taxes
  on a lot of American products."  He said "it would be stupid. We
  have to avoid that."
      He said Congressmen seem upset mosty with Japan, because of
  its massive trade suprlus with the United States, and not with
  EC nations, but EC nations will be hurt by the diverted 
  shipments of Asian textiles.
      De Croo also criticized the way U.S. officials try to solve
  EC trade issues, saying "each time we come in contact, it a
  conflict contact. The clouts are coming fom the West."
      He said it then is a crisis atmosphere with officials cross
  the Atlantic and dramatized with headlines.
      "This is not the way to work in a serious way between two
  big powers," De Croo said.
  

