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Peru urges Bush to push through FTA now
11-Oct-2006 Prensa Latina
While his neighbors in South America are in no hurry to ratify a free trade agreement with Washington, Peruvian President Alan Garcia plans to ask President George W. Bush to push for ratification of the beached Free Trade Treaty today.
EU flexes its colonial muscles with divide and rule strategies to crush former colonies with unfair trade agreements
11-Oct-2006 Black Britain
Representatives of ACP countries have been in the UK to lobby politicians to pressurise the government over its proposed new trade agreements. Black Britain spoke to them about how the agreements will destroy their economies and their lives.
ECOWAS Ministers endorse controversial EPA deal
11-Oct-2006 The Statesman
The Ministerial Monitoring Committee of the Economic Partnership Agreement, between West Africa and the European Community, have recommended to the sub-regional body to speed up the controversial partnership deal with the European Union.
Revisiting NAFTA: Still not working for North America’s workers
11-Oct-2006 EPI
NAFTA should be seen not as a stand-alone treaty, but as part of a long-term campaign by the conservative business interests in all three countries to rip up their respective domestic social contract.
Asean negative list covers only 80% products: India
11-Oct-2006 Economic Times
In an interesting reversal of roles in the on-going India-Asean free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, India has expressed dissatisfaction with Asean’s negative list of items (products to be excluded from duty reduction commitments) and has asked for amendments in order to enhance market access for Indian products.
EU asks C. America to select single negotiator for trade talks
10-Oct-2006 People’s Daily
EU foreign relations director-general Eneko Landaburu on Monday urged Central American nations to choose a single negotiator for talks on an association agreement between the two trade blocs.
Mandelson plans bilateral trade deals despite WTO setback
10-Oct-2006 The Guardian
The European Union will use bilateral trade deals to "road test" measures deemed too sensitive to be included in the stalled global WTO liberalisation negotiations, Peter Mandelson said last night.
FTA case profiled in US magazine
10-Oct-2006 Scoop
New Zealand’s case for a free trade agreement with the United States is the subject of an article in the latest edition of the New Zealand Magazine which is distributed primarily in the United States as well as in New Zealand.
Sceptics fear political ties that bind free trade
10-Oct-2006 Financial Express
Perhaps the best explanation of why bilateral trade agreements are so popular comes from Pascal Lamy, who was the predecessor to Peter Mandelson as Europe’s trade commissioner. Mr Lamy, now director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), is fond of saying: "Politicians tell you that when they sign a bilateral agreement with a pal, they get on TV. When they are the 149th minister around the table at the WTO, they don’t get on TV."
Aids activists bring patent-drug fight to US
10-Oct-2006 The Nation
The Thai Network of People Living with HIV/Aids will launch the country’s first campaign abroad against the Thai-US free-trade agreement (FTA) from tomorrow to October 29 in US cities, including San Francisco, New York, Washington and Chicago.
Occidental drops a claim but may strengthen suit vs government
10-Oct-2006 Easy Bourse
US-based Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) has dropped a compensation claim against Ecuador’s state oil company Petroecuador in a move that analysts said may strengthen the oil firm’s case against the government.
The Australia-US free trade agreement: a contest of interests
10-Oct-2006
This article analyses the social forces that supported and opposed the AUSFTA, explores why the agreement was signed despite widespread public opposition in Australia, assesses the impact of oppositional campaigns on the content of the agreement in some key areas and analyses the environment and labour chapters.
Bilateral agreements in EU trade policy
10-Oct-2006 DG Trade
Speech by Peter Mandelson at the London School of Economics on 9 October 2006
Malaysia, EU agree to launch talks for broad cooperation pact
9-Oct-2006
Malaysia and the European Union agreed Monday to launch negotiations for a broad cooperation pact that could lead to an eventual free trade agreement, a top EU official said.
Minimum wage free trade deal will meet resistance
9-Oct-2006
Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the Union will resist any attempt to undermine wages and conditions through short term casual workers imported under free trade deals.
One-third of Dominican firms would disappear with Free Trade
9-Oct-2006
Approximately one-third of the firms in the Dominican Republic could disappear once the Free Trade Agreement with the United States (DR-CAFTA) is implemented, if revisions are not introduced to raise competitive levels.
Pakistan, Malaysia conclude free trade agreement talks
9-Oct-2006 People’s Daily
Pakistan and Malaysia have completed talks over a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in Islamabad, the Pakistani Commerce Ministry said on Friday.
Rice could doom US-Korea trade deal: source
8-Oct-2006 Reuters
A proposed free-trade deal between the United States and South Korea would probably be doomed if Washington succeeds in putting rice on the negotiating table, according to a source familiar with the subject.
Traders still paying duty
7-Oct-2006
Bahrain businesses trading with the US may still be paying duty on customs-free products because they haven’t amended their paperwork. Bahrain Export Development Society (BEDS) chairman Dr Yousef Mashal said 96 per cent of Bahrain’s industrial and agricultural products now received immediate duty-free access to the US markets because of the Bahrain-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), but some traders were missing out.
Japan, Indonesia to hold 6th round of free trade talks in Tokyo
7-Oct-2006
Japan and Indonesia will hold a sixth round of talks on a possible free trade agreement next week and work on a draft of the pact, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Friday.