Clinton looks to posterity

Date: 28/01/1999

Brace yourselves for a new transatlantic trade war - over the name of the next round of trade talks.

A certain William Jefferson Clinton apparently wants the forthcoming Millennium Round of negotiations under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation to be named the Clinton Round.

This would be a fitting memorial to the greatest president the US had between 1993 and 2001, and would allow him to be remembered above all else for his commitment to free trade and the promotion of market values around the world.

There is a precedent: the 1964-67 GATT negotiations were called the Kennedy Round after a president whom Clinton has revered and emulated in so many ways.

But someone else would like a lasting monument too. Not wishing to be outdone by a Billy-come-lately, long-time free-trader and Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan has let it be known that his commitment to the Millennium Round predates Clinton's by some time.

Impeachment would solve this tricky problem, but as that seems unlikely, some serious diplomacy may now be required to pacify clashing egos.