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FTA to herald new era of partnership between EU and GCC
15-Jul-2006 MENAFN
The EU-GCC free trade agreement will open a new era of economic, trade, investment and commercial activities between the two blocs, a top French envoy in the Kingdom told Bahrain Tribune.
UNICE Chairman: Russia and the EU must conclude a full package free trade deal
14-Jul-2006 RIA Novosti
The UNICE (Union of Manufacturers in the European Community) Chairman, Ernest-Antoine Seillière, has encouraged Russia and the European Union (the EU) to conclude a full package free trade agreement to reach close, reciprocal economic integration.
Lanka offers free trade pact to Bangladesh
14-Jul-2006 Daily India
Sri Lanka has mooted a free trade agreement (FTA) with Bangladesh citing its positive experience with the ones it has signed with India and Pakistan.
Korea, US fail to complete second FTA talks
14-Jul-2006 Korea Herald
The second round of formal free trade talks between Korea and the United States ended earlier than scheduled today, suggesting that the talks may have reached an impasse.
India, France to strengthen IPR ties; agreement soon
14-Jul-2006 Financial Express
India and France have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the area of intellectual property rights (IPR) and will soon sign a bilateral agreement regarding the same.
Israel and Mercosur make progress on free-trade agreement
14-Jul-2006 Globes
Israel and Mercosur (Mercado Comun del Sur, the Common Market of the South, comprising Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay) are making progress in negotiations for a free-trade agreement. Mercosur and Israel representatives held intensive discussions last week.
FTA threatens blood supply: study
14-Jul-2006 Sydney Morning Herald
The safety of the Australian blood supply could be jeopardised under the free trade agreement with the United States, researchers have warned.
UN court allows Uruguay pulp mill project
14-Jul-2006 New Zealand Herald
The United Nations’ highest court has ruled that Uruguay does not have to suspend building two giant pulp mills that neighbouring Argentina says will harm the environment.
US boycotts discussions on medicines in FTA talks with S Korea
14-Jul-2006 Hankyoreh
Negotiators from the United States have boycotted discussions on medicines in free trade talks with South Korea, in an apparent protest against Seoul’s new drug-pricing move, Seoul’s chief negotiator to the talks said Thursday.
Korea, India to hold free trade talks
14-Jul-2006 Korea Times
Although the free trade agreement with the United States has been receiving the lion’s share of the nation’s attention, South Korea and India will continue free trade talks next week to discuss the timetable and extent of tariff reductions, Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said Thursday.
Japan, Malaysia FTA takes effect
14-Jul-2006 Kyodo
A free trade agreement between Japan and Malaysia took effect Thursday, enabling the two countries to scrap tariffs on essentially all industrial goods and most agricultural, forestry and fishery products within 10 years.
Agreement scarce, dispute persists in SK-US free trade talks
14-Jul-2006 Hankyoreh
South Korea and the US have agreed to establish a standing committee on sanitary standards for agricultural and food products, which will make it easier for the US to ask for expanded trade of genetically modified crops. However, negotiations on pharmaceuticals have hit a snag, with neither side willing to budge.
Thai-US FTA talks left for new Thai govt
13-Jul-2006 Bangkok Post
Thailand’s current caretaker government has decided to leave new rounds of the Thai-US FTA talks to the new government after the next general election so that the parliament and the public can fully participate in the talks, according to the Thai foreign minister.
EU will start negotiation with China on bilateral trade
13-Jul-2006 Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM)
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson is now carrying out a new policy that is ready to start up negotiation on bilateral trade agreement with China and hopes to relax EU and China trade issues through this mechanism.
The death of Doha signals the demise of globalisation
13-Jul-2006 The Guardian
The failure to reach agreement on the Doha round suggests the era of multilateral trade agreements is coming to an end.
US House Dems vow to oppose Peru FTA on labor standards
13-Jul-2006 Easy Bourse
Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday said they would oppose a free trade agreement between the US and Peru, citing inadequate provisions to protect labor standards.
Massive anti-FTA protests paralyze Seoul
13-Jul-2006 Chosun Ilbo
Massive protests against free-trade talks between Korea and the U.S. paralyzed traffic in downtown Seoul on Wednesday.
US House Democrats say Oman labor reform not enough
12-Jul-2006 Reuters
US Democrats opposed to a free trade pact with Oman said on Tuesday that new reforms to the Gulf Arab state’s labor laws fall short of what is needed to win their support for the agreement.
New legal threat over Yukos sale
12-Jul-2006 FT
The Kremlin will face yet another legal headache on Tuesday over its role in the break-up of Yukos after US attorneys began an arbitration proceeding in Spain on behalf of Spanish investors who were allegedly hurt by the Yukos affair.
Bolivia advocates alternative vision for trade and integration
12-Jul-2006 Upside Down World
A cornerstone of Bolivia’s new economy is the People’s Trade Agreement (PTA, or TCP in Spanish), a progressive international trade and integration strategy. Based upon traditional indigenous principles of cooperation, complementarity and solidarity, the PTA is a form of collaboration between nations or communities that reasserts public control over the economy and attempts to recast the role of the corporation from that of "master" to "partner" in a process of sustainable development.