BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina has asked the World Trade Organization to investigate its claims that the United States and European Union have broken WTO rules by curbing imports of lemons, beef and biodiesel, the foreign minister said on Wednesday.
"The measures against Argentine exports ... have caused serious damage to Argentine farmers, also causing the loss of thousands of jobs," Foreign Minister Hector Timerman said.
"We're open to keep talking while this complaint is handled by the World Trade Organization," he told a news conference, adding that the complaints were filed earlier in the day.
The South American country accuses the United States of blocking imports of Argentine beef and fresh lemons while it says that the European Union and Spain have done the same with Argentine biodiesel.
Diplomatic and business relations have been strained between Argentina and the EU since May when President Cristina Fernandez seized a majority stake in the country's top energy company YPF from Spanish oil major Repsol.
Argentina has previously complained to the WTO over both issues, but Wednesday's presentation is a formal request for the organization's Dispute Settlement Body to rule on the dispute.
Under WTO rules a country accused of breaking the rules has 60 days to try to resolve the complaint, after which the complainant can ask the WTO to set up a panel of adjudicators to judge the merits of the disputes.
(Reporting by Alejandro Lifschitz and Juliana Castilla; Writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Stacey Joyce and Cynthia Osterman)
