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US meets resistance on full access to finance
18-Feb-2006
A seminar heard yesterday that although US negotiators had asked Thailand to fully deregulate its financial services and allow US investors unrestricted stakes in the brokering and banking sectors, Bangkok was insisting that the sector was not ready to face direct competition.
Colombia-US FTA may distort Venezuelan market
18-Feb-2006 El Universal
Venezuela’s Minister of Industry and Trade Gustavo Márquez thinks that an eventual Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by Colombia and the United States could result in unfair competition to the detriment of Venezuelan commodities.
Free trade could cost plenty
18-Feb-2006 Bangkok Post
Supara Janchitfah looks at the rules of the Thai-US FTA negotiation process and finds them more favourable to the American side.
CAFTA In Limbo
17-Feb-2006
Jacobo Kattan was hoping to build an industrial park and create 8,000 new jobs after the expected implementation of a regional free-trade pact last month. Instead, he’s had to fire 2,000 workers and close three companies as the region’s clothing industry haemorrhages, putting factories in legal limbo while much of their business leaves for Asia.
US nearing decision on trade talks with Malaysia
17-Feb-2006 Reuters
The United States may announce soon that it is beginning free trade talks with Malaysia, US Trade Representive Rob Portman said on Wednesday.
Panama protests build over US FTA
16-Feb-2006
Agricultural unions and associations in Panama repeated their intention Thursday to continue protests over the way the Isthmus government is negotiating a free trade treaty with the United States.
Ecuador-US FTA hinges on farming
16-Feb-2006
Ecuadorian Foreign Affaire Minister Jorge Illingworth asserted that a Free Trade Agreement with the US would basically depend on a favorable agriculture deal.
Industry and Commerce chief: The US has not concluded reviewing FTA
16-Feb-2006
Industry and Commerce minister Francisco Javier Garcia blamed the US Trade Office for delays in reviewing documentation pertinent to the country’s entrance in the Free Trade Treaty with United States and Central America (DR-CAFTA).
Guatemala youth join anti-FTA rally
16-Feb-2006
Guatemalan young people announced Thursday their willingness to join the massive February 24 march scheduled against the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US in Guatemala City.
US group urges trade preference for Taiwan
16-Feb-2006
A group of US congressmen have introduced legislation urging US President George W. Bush to give preference to Taiwan as his administration considers which countries to consider for potential free-trade agreements.
S. Korea-US FTA should not be disrupted by interest groups: Roh
16-Feb-2006
President Roh Moo-hyun said Thursday the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) should not be blocked by some interest groups’ resistance.
S. Korea to reflect farmers’ concerns in US free trade talks
16-Feb-2006 Yonhap
"Farmers and ranchers will be invited to take part in negotiations from the outset," a Korean agricultural ministry official said.
S. Korean rice industry to be hit hard by FTA with US: Report
15-Feb-2006 Asia Pulse
South Korea’s rice industry could suffer a significant drop in earnings and production if the country signs a free trade pact with the United States, even if rice is excluded from the deal, a report said Wednesday.
Uribe heads to US to salvage free trade negotiations
15-Feb-2006 FT
Alvaro Uribe, Colombia’s president, is expected to roll up his shirt sleeves in Washington on Wednesday on a high-stakes mission to personally salvage stalled but crucial free trade negotiations with the US.
Govt opens FTA dialogue
14-Feb-2006
Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Somkid Jatusripitak asked academics to keep an open mind on the proposed Thai-US Free Trade Area agreement, saying that the FTA would benefit the two countries equally.
Malaysia: FTAs with Pakistan, Australia & NZ to be completed this year
14-Feb-2006 Bernama
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) initiatives with Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand are expected to be completed this year, Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said Tuesday. She also said that FTA negotiations with the US and India would also begin this year, followed by the launch of a joint feasibility study for a possible FTA between Malaysia and Chile.
US sorghum sold to Morocco for the first time in six years
14-Feb-2006 US Grains Council
US sorghum has been sold to Morocco for the first time in six years, a testament that the US-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is working.
UAE debate on benefits of FTA rekindled
14-Feb-2006 Middle East Times
After almost two years, negotiations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States over a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) are nearing an end, with the two sides expected to close a deal within a few months. But the debate over the effect of the agreement on the UAE’s economy has recently been reignited.
Congresistas colombianos crean grupo opuesto al TLC
14-Feb-2006 Prensa Latina
Liderados por los opositores partidos Polo Democrático y un sector del Liberal, varios congresistas colombianos crearon hoy un grupo parlamentario opuesto al Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) con Estados Unidos.
Colombia, US resume FTA talks
13-Feb-2006 Prensa Latina
Colombia and the US have set up the 14th negotiation round of the Free Trade Agreement Monday in Washington, with President Alvaro Uribe heading the talks for Colombia.