After months of standstill, the Bush administration and congressional Democrats have agreed to strengthen labor and environmental standards in free-trade pacts, signaling a new bipartisan consensus aimed at shoring up crumbling U.S. public support for economic globalization, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The report praised the agreement, which was announced Thursday night by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and other top officials and lawmakers, saying it will clear a hurdle to the passage of some small bilateral trade deals.

It could also ultimately smooth the way for broader trade measures such as renewing President Bush's soon-to-expire authority to negotiate trade deals without threat of congressional amendments, as well as a new global trade agreement now being negotiated in the Doha Round of world trade talks, said the report.

While the trade pact has the solid backing of congressional leaders, any specific trade legislation could still face strong opposition among rank-and-file lawmakers and labor groups, according to the report.

Source: Xinhua