Nakagawa intends to meet Thaksin to politically settle FTA talks
Friday July 1, 2005
Nakagawa intends to meet Thaksin to politically settle FTA talks
(Kyodo) - Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa expressed hope Friday for talks with Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to achieve a political breakthrough in bilateral negotiations to seal a free trade agreement by the end of July, the target date set by the two governments.
"Depending on circumstances, I will meet with the top leader, Prime Minister Thaksin, to try to reach an accord by the end of July," Nakagawa told a press conference after the two countries held one-day vice minister-level FTA talks in Tokyo on Thursday.
The trade minister also said that he intends to negotiate with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, concurrently serving as finance minister, in a bid to settle the talks before the deadline.
Somkid told Nakagawa last month that he would take the lead in trying to obtain domestic support for an FTA with Japan, according to Japanese government officials.
The two countries saw some progress in negotiations during the eighth round of formal FTA talks Thursday, Nakagawa said without elaborating.
Stumbling blocks remain in such areas as steel, automobiles and auto parts as Thailand is reluctant to offer tariff elimination in those sectors because it wants to protect local industries, the officials said.
Japan has urged Thailand to remove tariffs on industrial goods by 2010 and presented a package of cooperation offers to help Thai industrialization through personnel training and educational programs in exchange for greater market access, government sources said.
Japan and Thailand launched the FTA talks in February 2004 and reached a basic deal on the contentious farm products segment during the seventh round of high-level talks in Thailand in late March and early April.
