WTO panel rules against Turkey in metals duties dispute with US

GENEVA (Reuters) -A World Trade Organization dispute panel ruled on Tuesday that Turkey should repeal additional duties imposed on the United States in retaliation for U.S. steel and aluminium tariffs, after Ankara's measure was found to be "inconsistent" with WTO policy.

"The Panel recommends that Turkey bring its WTO-inconsistent measure into conformity with its obligation," the panel said in a report, referring to the Turkish duties.

Turkey acted after Washington imposed a 25% duty on steel imports and a 10% duty on aluminium imports in March 2018 based on the Donald Trump administration's "Section 232" national security investigation into steel and aluminium imports.

The United States initiated dispute settlement proceedings against Turkey over the additional duties, as well as against the European Union, Canada, Russia and other countries over their own retaliatory measures.

The United States welcomed Tuesday's ruling.

"Turkey's decision to pursue this dispute highlights the contradiction of both suing the United States in the WTO and at the same time unilaterally retaliating with tariffs," said Sam Michel, spokesperson for the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

Turkey's permanent mission to the WTO in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The United States agreed to remove tariffs on EU imports in 2021, but President Joe Biden's administration has otherwise kept in place the metals tariffs that were one of the centrepieces of Trump's America First strategy.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Emma Farge; editing by Mark Heinrich)

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