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EFTA-Thailand negotiations: NGOs appeal to UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health
20-Jun-2005
17 NGOs from Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein submitted today a request to the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health. They urge him to warn the four member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) not to restrict access to affordable generic medicines in Thailand.
Free-trade deal with Indonesia under review
19-Jun-2005 Arabic News
Egypt is to consider an Indonesian request to establish a joint free-trade agreement, sources at the Ministry of International Cooperation said yesterday.
Trade alliance seeks transparency on Japan-RP FTA negotiations
18-Jun-2005 Manila Bulletin
The multi-sectoral Fair Trade Alliance (FTA) has urged the government for transparency in the crafting of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) as it expressed fears that the deal does not provide "safeguards" to the country’s industrial goods and includes regulation and competition issues.
China, ROK willing to advance FTA process
17-Jun-2005
China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Friday expressed their positive attitude towards speeding up research about establishing a free trade area (FTA) amid the fast-growth economic ties between the two countries.
MoI sure Thai-Japan FTA will be concluded in July
17-Jun-2005
The Ministry of Industry said on Thursday it is confident that the conclusion of the Thailand-Japan free trade area (FTA) agreement will be reached on schedule in July after representatives of the two countries met this week to discuss the details of the plan, especially on issue of automobile and electronic parts.
Doctors told to be wary of big drug firms
17-Jun-2005
Doctors have been warned not to fall into the fierce marketing trap of multinational drug companies which have a ’’hidden agenda’’ to sell expensive products.
Professions brace for FTA impact
12-Jun-2005
Businesses such as cars, steel, textiles and telecoms may grab the headlines in the continuing debate over free trade area (FTA) agreements, but members of many professions in Thailand are also preparing for changes once markets for their services open.
Singapore and Qatar close to ink FTA
11-Jun-2005
Singapore and Qatar are close to signing a free trade agreement after ending their final round of negotiations yesterday, the city-state’s trade ministry said.
New rules of origin for India-Asean FTA in July
11-Jun-2005 Financial Express
India will formulate a new set of rules of origin (ROO) for its free trade agreement (FTA) with the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) by mid-July.
Philippine Gov’t urged to reopen FTA talks with US
11-Jun-2005 Manila Bulletin
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has urged the government to initiate a new bilateral trade talks with the United States.
Australia hints at FTA with India
11-Jun-2005 Sify
The Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, on Wednesday hinted at the possibility of India and Australia entering into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Thai Govt urged to put off US talks
11-Jun-2005 Bangkok Post
Farm advocates, intellectual property rights experts and farmers groups yesterday called on the government to postpone the upcoming round of free trade negotiations with the United States that would focus on intellectual property rights (IP) to avoid the impact on farmers.
Free trade free-for-all
11-Jun-2005 BoiseWeekly
US farmers are already sitting on 700,000 tons of surplus sugar nationally, stockpiled as the result of deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and pacts with the World Trade Organization. Farmers must store the surplus at their own expense and fear those tons could multiply under a CAFTA deal.
Investment regime takes shape
11-Jun-2005 Seeurope.net
Investment rules are not on the agenda of the current Doha Round of global trade talks. Instead, bilateral, regional and other level agreements are building a de facto international regime for investment.
Australian Govt to get tough on China trade issues
11-Jun-2005 AAP
Trade Minister Mark Vaile signalled a major assault on tariffs, quarantine systems and intellectual property laws as part of free trade negotiations with China.
US still hopes to conclude Thai-US FTA
10-Jun-2005
The US still hopes to conclude a long-awaited U.S.-Thailand free trade agreement despite a number of unsettled issues, including the liberalization of the Thai financial sector, US Ambassador to Thailand Ralph Boyce said Friday.
Bilateral agreement on trade likely today: Iran to recruit docs, engineers
9-Jun-2005
Iran is likely to offer Bangladeshi doctors, engineers and professionals jobs in their country. Iran has already prepared a list of 150 exportable products of Bangladesh, which it will import through negotiations.
Dairy connection to free-trade deal
8-Jun-2005
Despite last week’s political hype caused by Prime Minister Helen Clark’s talks with China’s top leadership - much of it fuelled by Clark - there is a big gap between the two sides on free-trade talks.
Malaysia agrees to examine Bangladesh’s plea for reducing trade gap
8-Jun-2005
Malaysia has agreed to examine Bangladesh’s cause of reducing trade imbalance heavily tilted towards Kuala Lumpur as the first day of official level talks of the two-day Joint Commission meeting concluded here yesterday.
India Inc study shows perils of Thai FTA
7-Jun-2005
Fearing a further surge in imports from Thailand under the Indo-Thai free trade agreement (FTA), India Inc has brought into sharp focus the urgent need to look internally and address the disabilities suffered by Indian companies in terms of high cost of production, higher import duties, infrastructure service cost and huge interest rate differential compared with the neighbouring country.