Steel companies urged to seek US concessions

British steel companies are being urged by the UK government to submit demands for exclusion from punitive US tariffs as it steps up pressure for a special deal with US President, George W. Bush. Patricia Hewitt, Trade and Industry Secretary, promised 19 April 2002 to support any steel producer seeking an exemption. The move was welcomed by unions who fear jobs may be lost unless a deal is struck. But it is controversial and risks undermining a European Union-wide campaign to persuade Washington to drop the tariffs .