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Pastimes : BEER -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TLindt who wrote (1400)	11/24/1999 3:10:00 PM
From: SIer formerly known as Joe B.	Respond to of 3689

Czechs seek protection to beer regions from WTO PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Nov 24, 1999 (AP Worldstream via COMTEX) -- Czech officials on Wednesday said they would ask the World Trade Organization to give beer regions the same protection wine regions have to defend their product's identity. Currently, only sparkling wines made in the Champagne region in France can be called champagnes, while Cognac and Armagnac must come from those areas in France as well. Analysts speculate that the Czech move could force international lagers brewed in the dominant Pilsner style to stop using the name and give exclusive rights to the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Plzen, known internationally under its German name Pilsen. This protection could also influence the long-running battle over the Budweiser trademark between Anheuser-Busch of the United States and the Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar. A statement from the Ministry of Agriculture said Wednesday that the Czech Republic had initiated talks in the WTO about protecting beer regions. A new round of WTO trade talks is scheduled to open in Seattle on Tuesday. The English-language weekly Prague Business Journal quoted Antonin Kratochvile, director of the Association of Breweries and Malthouses as saying the Czechs were braced for American opposition to the beer proposal. ''I know, in America, they don't want it,'' Kratochvile was quoted as saying. ''They say it is a restriction of free trade.'' But Kratochvile says protection is necessary. ''The same malt, the same hops, the result was different,'' Kratochvile said. ''It (the taste) was ... tied to specific place. There is a clear difference, like for wine, the same for beer.'' Copyright 1999 Associated Press, All rights reserved. -0- By NADIA RYBAROVA (PROFILE (WS SL:BC-Czech-Beer, 1st Ld Writethru; CT:f; (REG:MEST;) (REG:ENGL;) (REG:AFRI;) (REG:ASIA;) (LANG:ENGLISH;)) ) * end of story *