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Bahrain

’New laws key to FTA’
6-Mar-2006
A FEW pieces of legislation, mainly related to intellectual property rights, need to be passed in Bahrain before its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US can be implemented, US Ambassador William T Monroe said yesterday.However, this should not prevent both sides from marketing the FTA in full force, he said.
FTA panel probes setting up of joint business board
6-Mar-2006
A Bahrain-US joint business board may be set up to speed up the implementation of Free Trade Agreement (FTA).The Bahrain FTA Implementation Committee yesterday discussed a proposal aimed at accelerating the implementation of the pact, the first signed between Washington and a Gulf state.
Bahrain-US business board to speed up FTA implementation
5-Mar-2006 Bahrain Tribune
A joint Bahrain-US business board is being set up as part of a major initiative to speed up the implementation of the Bahrain-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as well as enhance the scope of benefits for both sides.
Opening a trade gateway
19-Feb-2006
Hundreds of American companies have been invited to a key conference in Bahrain next week to discuss ways to enhance commercial ties between the two countries.
Free trade agreements: The quiet economic track of US Middle East policy
13-Feb-2006 Washington Institute
Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Bush administration has placed democratization and reform in the Middle East at the top of its agenda. While press reports have focused on political developments, another key component to the American strategy entails encouraging economic growth, modernization, and liberalization throughout the region.
Wake-up alarm over FTA delays
16-Jan-2006 Gulf Daily News
The sticking point for the US-Bahrain FTA to come into effect is intellectual property rights (IPR) legislation, which must be passed by Bahrain’s Parliament first
Bush signs Bahrain trade pact, a first for Gulf
12-Jan-2006 Reuters
President George W. Bush on Wednesday signed a bill enacting a free-trade agreement with Bahrain, the first such pact with a Gulf country and only the third with an Arab state.
First trade & investment mission to the USA completes successfully
19-Dec-2005
A 14-member delegation from the Bahrain American Chamber of Commerce has returned after a successful trade mission to the US.
FTA - a passport of opportunities
17-Dec-2005
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is a ’passport of opportunities’ and it is up to the business communities of both Bahrain and the US to see how best they can use this opportunity, the President of American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), Samir Benmukhlouf, said yesterday.
FTA deal ’will help Egyptian investors’
14-Dec-2005
Deputy Chief Executive of the Economic Development Board (EDB) Dr Zakaria Hijris has urged the Egyptian private sector to benefit from the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Bahrain and the US.
Manama welcomes US Congress approval of draft FTA with Bahrain
12-Dec-2005
The Bahraini cabinet on Sunday welcomed the US Congress’ endorsement of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Bahrain.
House OKs trade agreement with Bahrain
8-Dec-2005 AP
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to make the small Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain one of the few Middle Eastern countries with a free-trade relationship with the United States.
Bahrain-US FTA ’will spur competitiveness’
5-Dec-2005
A free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the US and Bahrain will help remove regulatory barriers to trade in Bahrain’s markets, but it is up to the country to improve competitiveness, a new study found.
FTA plea by Bush
18-Nov-2005 Gulf Daily News
US President Bush yesterday urged the US Congress to approve a long-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Bahrain.
US ’Big Brother’ attitude in FTAs draws criticism
17-Nov-2005
Arabs attending a conference in Bahrain blasted yesterday Washington’s "Big Brother" attitude in bilateral Free Trade Agreements, saying they are political tools to serve US interests rather than enhance economic prosperity in the region.
Bahrain MPs, govt clash over Israel trade plans
12-Oct-2005 Khaleej Times
Bahrain’s parliament yesterday rejected a decision by the government to lift a ban on Israeli goods as part of a trade deal with the United States.
AFL-CIO testimony to Senate Finance Committee on US-Bahrain FTA
12-Oct-2005 Senate Finance Committee
The Bahrain FTA provides precisely the wrong answers to the challenges faced by workers in Bahrain and the United States.
Bahrain-US FTA backed
12-Oct-2005 Gulf Daily News
Business giants in the US are backing the Free Trade Agreement with Bahrain as it comes under scrutiny in hearings at the Senate and House of Representatives in Washington.
Israel ties ruled out
10-Oct-2005 Gulf Daily News
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.
US expects FTA with Bahrain to benefit Middle East
9-Oct-2005 Gulf News
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."