Panama, Guatemala ready free trade
Panama, Guatemala Ready Free Trade
Panama, Feb 12 2008 (Prensa Latina) — Panama Trade and Industry Minister Alejandro Ferrer expressed satisfaction on Tuesday that negotiations for free trade with Guatemala is 90 percent advanced.
Ferrer said he will resume talks Wednesday with his Guatemalan counterpart Jose Carlos Garcia, who will arrive today.
They are still to discuss tomato byproducts, vegetable oil, and products with high content of sugar, paper and cardboard.
Chief Panamanian negotiator Leroy Sheffer explained that the goal is to achieve the broadest access to a market of 13 million people where many Panamanian products and services have true potential growth.
Last year bilateral trade grew 15 percent over that of 2006, for $120 million.
Panama has free trade accords with other Central American countries and plans to negotiate a similar accord with the EU en bloc.
