Day 068 - 16 Dec 94 - Page 17

     
     1        Trade Agreement.
     2
     3   MR. MORRIS:  When a country like Japan imports patties -- does
     4        Japan import both patties -- I think you said they import
     5        both patties and raw beef; is that correct?
     6        A.  That is correct.
     7
     8   Q.   The patties that are exported to Japan from different
     9        countries, you said there are three or four countries that
    10        import to Japan from time to time: Australia ---
    11        A.  New Zealand and the US.
    12
    13   Q.   --  New Zealand and the US.  Are there other countries that
    14        import to Japan?
    15        A.  Not that I am aware of.  I had some lengthy discussions
    16        the other week with Mr. Paul Simmons regarding Japan,
    17        because he has been involved with Japan for at least 10
    18        years; and he clarified that those are the countries that
    19        they have never -- I asked him specific questions about
    20        Central America, and he said, "No."
    21
    22   Q.   When was that you spoke to him?
    23        A.  Throughout this week.
    24
    25   Q.   What day was that?
    26        A.  Excuse me?
    27
    28   Q.   What day was that?
    29        A.  Day?  I asked him several times.  The last one was
    30        yesterday.
    31
    32   Q.   What did he say about Costa Rica?
    33        A.  In regards to Japan?
    34
    35   Q.   That is why you asked him about Costa Rica?
    36        A.  I asked him several questions.  That is a huge
    37        question.  I am not sure I understand your question.
    38
    39   Q.   What exactly did you ask him?
    40        A.  We spend a lot of time on the phone, so I asked him a
         lot of questions for clarification purposes.  For Costa
    42        Rica, the questions that I asked him were directly related
    43        to the allegations that were made about exporting product
    44        from Costa Rica to the US, and he said, "No, we have never,
    45        we have never done that.  I have never even heard about it
    46        and I have seen no records about it."
    47
    48   Q.   He must have heard about it, must he not, because it was a
    49        great controversy?
    50        A.  What I meant by -- it is the allegations that he has 
    51        heard, he has seen.  He had seen no record, he had seen no 
    52        evidence that that has been the case of Costa Rica 
    53        exporting product to the US.  I share with him when I
    54        had discussed yesterday with Mr. Rudolfo Madrigal, who said
    55        that the person who was in that video has told him that he
    56        has lied, and he is very sorry about the statement that he
    57        made, that they were completely lies.
    58
    59   Q.   Who told you that?
    60        A.  I said Mr. Rudolfo Madrigal.