Bahrain parliament approves FTA with the US
Aljazeera, Dubai
Bahrain parliament approves FTA with the U.S.
7/7/2005
The Bahraini parliament approved a free trade agreement with the United States.
The agreement, which has angered Saudi Arabia, is the first between Washington and a Gulf Arab state.
The accord, signed in September last year, will now be sent to the country’s upper house, the shoura council.
It then must be approved by the king before it comes into force.
The U.S. Congress also must approve the accord.
Parliament sources said on Wednesday that some lawmakers initially wanted to use the agreement to press Washington to release six Bahrainis detained by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
But most MPs decided that they have a better chance to resolve the issue by ratifying the accord.
