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Kuwaitis quietly breach a taboo: easing hostility toward Israel
Reports have circulated that Kuwait will lift its embargo on Israel, but they remain unconfirmed. The Kuwaiti daily Al Qabas noted that Kuwait had not yet signed a free-trade agreement with the United States. Such an agreement would not permit a trade embargo on Israel.
India-Brazil-South Africa FTA distinct possibility: Govt
Terming an India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Free Trade Agreement as a “distinct possibility”, the Indian government said it is looking at other ways of enhancing trade relationship with the two countries.
BIMSTEC trade meeting begins in Dhaka with focus on FTA
The Eighth BIMSTEC Trade Negotiation Committee meeting began in Dhaka today with the aim of developing a free trade agreement between member countries.
China FTA to boost wool sales: report
Australian wool producers would reap a $780 million windfall if barriers to trade with China were ripped down, a new report has found.
President pitches for FTA with Honduras
Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian made a pitch for the signing of a free trade agreement with Honduras during a state banquet host by him for visiting Honduras President Ricardo Maduro yesterday.
US hopes to conclude FTA with M’sia by June ’07
The United States hopes to conclude any possible Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Malaysia by June 2007, said Assistant US Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and Pacific Affairs Barbara Weisel.
Specter of failure haunts WTO trade talks
"The consequences of failure would be an even further switch to [bi-lateral] Free Trade Agreements [FTAs] and long-term weakness for multilateral trade. Trade would become more discriminatory," said Razeen Sally, visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.
Israel ties ruled out
The decision to lift boycott of Israel in line with the US FTA does not entail any economic, cultural, political, diplomatic or any other form of normalisation, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister said.
ACP negotiators meet in London
Chief negotiators from the six Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) regions that are fashioning the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union met in London last week to compare notes and review strategies, and emerged saying that they had a better understanding of the way forward.
US expects FTA with Bahrain to benefit Middle East
A senior US trade official has dismissed concerns by the Senate Labor Advisory Committee, saying that "the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions General Secretary has publicly hailed Bahrain as showing the way for the region" and "the disciplines and consultative mechanism in the FTA will play a major role in further improving the labour situation in Bahrain."
Hundreds rally against lifting ban
Hundreds of people turned up at two separate sites to demonstrate against Bahrain’s lifting of a boycott of Israeli goods yesterday
Ukraine to start free-trade talks with EU next year
Ukraine expects to win market-economy status from the European Union in December and plans to start negotiating a free-trade regime with the bloc early next year, Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov said.
Thai FTA hits rules of origin roadblock
The much-publicised Thai FTA seems to be stuck in first gear. According to sources in the auto industry, it is stuck over the rules of origin issue, which has been a contentious issue right from the beginning.
Chile next in line for FTA
Thailand and Chile have agreed to conduct a joint study on a potential free-trade agreement (FTA) in order to establish bilateral access to regional markets.
RP pushes for car-tariff clause in Japan talks
The Philippines will push for a provision in a planned free-trade deal with Japan that would allow renegotiation on motor vehicle tariffs by 2009.
India mulling FTA with Australia: Kamal Nath
India is exploring the possibility of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with Australia, of which a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would be a component, Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, said during discussions on Tuesday with Dr. Geoff Gallop, Premier of Western Australia.
Bahrain: Of reshuffles & FTAs
The new ministers installed in Bahrain’s latest cabinet reshuffle inherit positions in a country that is currently breaking Arab world records in a number of sectors. With the country ahead in attracting foreign investment, it is also moving forwards in signing foreign trade pacts, as debates in the US appeared to move Bahrain closer still to a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
FT: Washington seals trade agreement with Oman
The US and Oman said on Monday they had concluded talks on a free trade agreement, the fifth deal completed in the Middle East by the US as part of an effort to build a web of economic ties in the region over the next decade.
South Africa: trade beat
Trade talks appear to have picked up pace in the latter part of the year. SA has another free-trade deal in the bag and talks with the US are scheduled to resume after a year-long stall.
Ecuador says will stand firm on intellectual property issue in free trade talks
Ecuador will stick to its position with regard to the delicate issue of intellectual property in the new round of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the United States, Colombia and Peru, Ecuadorian chief negotiator Manuel Chiriboga said on Monday.