Lumber deal reached

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. announced a tentative agreement with Canada on Thursday to settle a long and heated trade battle over softwood lumber, a major home-building component. Americans should not expect a price break from the deal when they pay for their new house.
The U.S. timber industry said it could support the accord. In Canada, word of the proposed pact provoked an uproar in parliament. Opposition leaders accusing the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper of selling out to the Bush administration.
U.S. officials said industry groups in both countries would have to decide whether to continue the costly legal fight or reach a settlement. A proposed deal in 2003 fell apart after some of Canada's provincial governments balked.
Harper and President Bush discussed the matter in a telephone call last weekend.
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