Mood on trade shifts from 'free' to 'fair'

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Free trade sentiment in Washington is giving way to a "fair trade" sentiment, the leader of a consumer advocacy group said.

A fair trade platform helped 40 Congressional candidates win elections on Nov. 4, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch division, the Miami Herald reported Thursday.

''Campaigning on fair trade is no longer just a Democratic tactic,'' Wallach said.

Fair trade advocates push for trade agreements to include labor, environmental and food safety standards and to prohibit foreign investors from suing governments over profits losses, the Herald reported.

President-elect Barack Obama openly sought anti-North American Free Trade Agreement voters. His position is that no future trade agreements should "stop the government from protecting the environment, food safety or the health of its citizens," the Herald reported.

This week in Washington, White House press secretary Dana Perino said members of Congress could pass free trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea and Panama, "if they really want to help the economy and jump start jobs in our country."

None of the trade agreements appeared on the agenda during the lame duck session of Congress this week, the Herald reported.