bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

US

One step closer
12-Oct-2005 Oxford Business Reports
Oman came to the closing stages of its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the US on October 3, after talks on the final details closed successfully. Omani and US officials say the final signing should now take place early in 2006.
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.
Kuwaitis quietly breach a taboo: easing hostility toward Israel
11-Oct-2005 New York Times
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.
US hopes to conclude FTA with M’sia by June ’07
10-Oct-2005 Edge Daily
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.
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."
Hundreds rally against lifting ban
9-Oct-2005 Gulf Daily News
Hundreds of people turned up at two separate sites to demonstrate against Bahrain’s lifting of a boycott of Israeli goods yesterday
Bahrain: Of reshuffles & FTAs
5-Oct-2005 Oxford Business Group
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
5-Oct-2005 Financial Times
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
5-Oct-2005 Business Day
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.
US, Thailand make ’significant progress’ in free trade talks
4-Oct-2005 AFP
The United States and Thailand have made "significant progress" in their latest round of talks to forge a free trade agreement, the US Trade Representative’s office said on Monday.
End of monopoly in food sector will benefit customers
4-Oct-2005 Gulf News
The UAE’s decision to eliminate the monopoly in the foodstuffs sector will have a profound impact on the economy, according to analysts and businessmen.
US, Oman reach free trade agreement
4-Oct-2005 Xinhua
The United States and Oman have reached a free trade agreement (FTA) to eliminate tariffs and barriers and expand trade between both countries, US Trade Representative Rob Portman and Omani Minister of Commerce and Industry Maqbool Bin Ali Sultan announced Monday.
Free trade isn’t free of partisan politics
4-Oct-2005 Daily Journal
Bitter partisanship is putting the United States’ trade agenda in the Americas in serious jeopardy.
Hawaii talks leave key points out
3-Oct-2005 Bangkok Post
Thailand and the United States have sorted out some technical issues but not major points during the week-long fifth round of the Thailand-US free trade talks that ended yesterday in Hawaii.
Intensive talks to solve disagreement over free trade agreement
1-Oct-2005 Arabic News
Intensive talks between Egypt and the USA, especially on intellectual property, are currently take place as a preliminary step toward concluding a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
US-Swiss free-trade deal "extremely valuable"
30-Sep-2005 swissinfo
An independent report says a free-trade accord between Switzerland and the United States would have "extremely valuable benefits" for both countries.
Saudi Arabia accession to WTO (2005)
30-Sep-2005
Information sheets from USTR
Bahrain societies flay move to normalise ties with Israel
30-Sep-2005 Gulf News
Nineteen societies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have rapped moves to normalise relations with Israel and called for joint national and regional efforts to abort the US-initiated Broader Middle East project.