US ambassador to S Korea calls criticism of FTA premature
The Hankyoreh | 22 July 2006
U.S. ambassador to S.K. calls criticism of FTA premature
Says outcome of U.S.-S.K. free trade talks still unknown
U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow said on July 21 that the people’s participation in the South Korea-U.S free trade agreement (FTA) is justified because the agreement is a matter that influences the quality of life of many people. But the ambassador added that "unconditional opposition" is troublesome because nobody yet knows what the outcome of the final negotiations will be.
In a lecture, under the title of "South Korea-U.S. FTA, Opportunity and Challenge," organized by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the island of Jeju, Ambassador Vershbow said that at the early stage of negotiations, there could be a variety of misunderstandings. To produce an optimized outcome, he said, we should let the negotiators do their work quietly and patiently.
Vershbow said that some agreements had been made in the second round of talks, which ended in Seoul last week, but others decisions were still pending, saying that the most important thing is to make consolidated statements that can be acceptable by both nations.
The opponents of the FTA are fighting a ghost, as they have no knowledge of what the final outcome of the talks will be, he said.
Asked which benefits the U.S. will gain from the South Korea-U.S. FTA, he said that U.S. exports to South Korea will rise 30 to 40 percent, and the benefit may be the same for South Korea.
