Kerry camp mum on US trade negotiating authority

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has not decided if he will seek a two-year extension of presidential trade negotiating authority that expires next year, a campaign spokesman said on Thursday.
"As president, Kerry would conduct a 120-day review of our trade agreements to evaluate them and figure out how we'll move forward," said campaign spokesman Phil Singer. "Any agreements that he would negotiate would have strong and enforceable labour and environmental protections."
The White House's current authority to negotiate trade agreements that it can submit to Congress for a straight up-or-down vote expires on June 1, 2005, unless the president requests a two-year extension.