Yonhap News, Korea

U.S. negotiator says KORUS FTA can be concluded by deadline

16 March 2007

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Yonhap) — The lead U.S. negotiator on a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea said Friday the two countries can meet the end-of-March deadline, although they "still have a long way to go."

"I think we can do this deal by the deadline," Wendy Cutler, assistant U.S. Trade Representative, said at a news conference here.

"We’ve come a long way, we still have a long way to go. But I firmly believe that we can get there by the end of March."

She spoke as Seoul and Washington prepare for a home-stretch sprint next week to conclude the trade pact that would eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers to goods and services between the two countries. High-level delegations are scheduled to visit each other’s capitals, injecting political will for a successful conclusion to the negotiations.