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FTA could mean nearly full opening of Korean agricultural market
14-Feb-2007 Hankyoreh
South Korea’s negotiators on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States reportedly said they would halve the number of agricultural products currently protected from tariff removal from 235 to around 100, sources said.
Legislature to debate portions of Thai-Japan FTA pact
14-Feb-2007 MCOT
Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly will debate the controversial Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement on Thursday.
Africa: Continent asks for more time in EU trade talks
14-Feb-2007 AllAfrica.com
African countries have asked the European Union (EU) to extend the on-going Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) talks by another one year.
Peru addressing labor concerns to pave way for FTA - Min
14-Feb-2007
Peru is making a concerted effort to address labor concerns being raised by U.S. congressional Democrats in order to ensure approval of the U.S.-Peru free trade pact, Labor Minister Susana Pinilla said Tuesday.
India in free trade talks with four European countries
14-Feb-2007 Navhind Times
India is in talks with four European countries - Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein - to strike a comprehensive economic agreement that would facilitate free trade relations. Switzerland is also trying to set up a working group with India on intellectual property rights and also seeking to enhance cooperation in science and technology fields.
Manufacturers leery of US-Korea trade deal
14-Feb-2007 US News & World Report
The push for a US-Korea Free Trade Agreement, already under fire in South Korea, is being viewed skeptically by US manufacturers, especially carmakers, according to industry and congressional officials.
Brazil likely to make bilateral agreements with the US rather than working with the FTAA
14-Feb-2007 FreshPlaza
The Brazilian Foreign Relations Minister, Celso Amorin, argued that Mercosur would prefer to negotiate bilaterally with the US than to try to save the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas.
Rafidah: Distributive trade guidelines an issue with the US
14-Feb-2007 The Edge Daily
Malaysia’s controversial guidelines on foreign participation in the distributive trade sector are one of 58 outstanding issue in the ongoing free trade talks with the United States.
ASEAN, EU plan to launch free trade agreement negotiations in May
14-Feb-2007 IHT
Southeast Asia’s regional bloc and the European Union may launch negotiations in May for an ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement, officials said Tuesday.
Thai shrimp exporters fear new health rules in Australia
13-Feb-2007 MCOT
Thai shrimp farmers have urged the government to speed up negotiations with Australia over its proposed health and safety standard before it comes into effect on February 21.
Japanese NGOs join Thai protest
13-Feb-2007 Bangkok Post
Sixteen Japanese non-government organisations have joined the protest by Thai activists against the Thailand-Japan free trade agreement (FTA) by urging their government to remove tariff reductions for hazardous waste from the pact.
S Korean farmers use animals to oppose US FTA
13-Feb-2007 Asia Pulse
The farmers, wearing jackets emblazoned with messages disapproving of the talks to seal a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries, stormed into the bustling Myeongdong fashion district in several carloads and released one pig, six goats and about 300 radishes.
GCC, EU closer to FTA deal
13-Feb-2007 Khaleej Times
A final deal which is expected to be clinched during Mandelson’s visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia from February 24.
India and Mauritius close to economic treaty
13-Feb-2007 NDTV
Critics say the agreement is a way for Indian companies to avoid paying capital gains tax in India.
Business begins push for fast track trade bill
12-Feb-2007 ABC News
US business groups began a campaign on Monday to persuade a skeptical Democratic-led Congress to approve at least a short-term extension of White House trade promotion authority to finish world trade talks.
UAE/US free trade discussions limp on
12-Feb-2007 Arabian Business
Stop-start free trade talks between the UAE and the United States are making progress, according to the UAE Ministry of Finance and Industry. The Ministry did not comment on reports that the UAE’s record on human rights and the banning of labour unions are obstacles.
US and Korean labor unite to protest trade agreement
12-Feb-2007 PR Newswire
Leaders of labor federations in the United States and Korea today joined forces to protest the ongoing negotiations for the US-Korea Free Trade agreement (KORUS FTA).
Bahrain: FTA lure for foreign firms
12-Feb-2007 Bahrain Tribune
The backers of the $1.6bn Bahrain Investment Wharf (BIW) project are using the Kingdom’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States to try and entice major firms from the economic powerhouses of China and India to set up shop in Bahrain.
Not under the same sky: bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), agriculture and food sovereignty
12-Feb-2007 PANAP
An initial report on the spread of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) throughout the Asia-Pacific and their impacts on agriculture and food sovereignty, in the context of the current state of play of the WTO, and the devastating legacy of agricultural liberalisation through World Bank/International Monetary Fund structural adjustment programmes.
As SK-US free trade talks near end, much unresolved
12-Feb-2007 Hankyoreh
With two rounds reportedly remaining, many in South Korea fear a ’spree of concessions’