By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

Political parties are haggling over who should be summoned before a special committee looking into the decision-making process behind the controversial resumption of American beef imports.

The committee was unable to make any progress Tuesday in compiling the list of witnesses to be called in their fourth round of working-level talks.

Members of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) insisted the committee call in program directors from MBC's current affairs program ``PD Notebook'' which is widely regarded as being the trigger for candlelit protests against the imports.

GNP lawmaker Kwon Taeg-ky said: ``Their summons is necessary to clarify the groundless rumors on the safety of American beef.''

The show sparked public uproar over the safety of American beef but faces criminal investigation for its alleged distortion of facts and mistranslations.

However, lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) opposed the summoning insisting it infringes upon the freedom of expression and journalism.

``The probe aims at assessing negotiations over the resumption of U.S. beef imports and studying measures to prevent recurrence,'' said DP legislator Kim Sang-hee. ``We can discuss fairness of the media report through another committee.''

Rep. Lee Yong-kyung of the minor opposition Renewal of Korea Party (RKP) claimed it is more appropriate to call in experts on mad cow disease rather than program directors in a bid to shed light on U.S. beef import negotiations.

Two-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won of the GNP, instead, criticized the previous Roh Moo-hyun administration for delaying the resumption of the beef imports.

She claimed that the Roh government had already decided to open the local market to American beef, adding that former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Vice Prime Minister Kwon O-kyu should be called as witnesses.

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr