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Activists protest against proposed FTA with US
4-Jun-2006 Yonhap
Some 1,300 protesters hit the streets of central Seoul Saturday to oppose a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States.
No political price for FTA, says UAE
4-Jun-2006 Bahrain Tribune
The UAE is not willing to make any political concessions to secure a free trade agreement with the US, Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum told Asharq Al Awsat newspaper yesterday.
Europeans seek integration of the Dominican Republic into the Caribbean
4-Jun-2006 Dominican Today
One of the little understood aspects of the negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe is that it requires the determination of which nations constitute the region.
Peru strikes against US FTA
3-Jun-2006 Prensa Latina
Peruvian farmer, union and student organizations announced Friday a strike as of June 8 for an indefinite period against the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with United States, to avoid its ratification in the Congress.
US wants separate FTA talks on farm products
3-Jun-2006
A US demand for separate negotiations on the agricultural sector under a planned free trade agreement with Korea shows how contentious the issue is, the Korean government said Friday.
Bumpy road for US-Korea FTA talks
3-Jun-2006 Asia Times
Negotiations for a US-South Korean free-trade agreement will begin on Monday, with strong political support from both countries’ presidents tempered by skepticism in the legislatures and cautious public support.
EAC states told to pull out of COMESA, SADC
3-Jun-2006 IPP Media
East African countries have been implored to pull out their individual membership from the Common Markets for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and South Africa Development Community (SADC) and choose the suitable one to re-join it as an EAC bloc.
Ghana is ill prepared for EPA - Study
3-Jun-2006 GNA
Empirical studies conducted on the impact of the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on Ghana has shown that the country is ill prepared and would face detrimental effects if it decides to join now.
Bilateral free trade and investment agreements and the US corporate biotech agenda
3-Jun-2006
Bilateral free trade agreements are seen by the agricultural biotechnology industry as an important conduit for spreading genetically modified organisms (GMOs) around the world.
US-Southern Africa free trade pact seen unlikely
3-Jun-2006 Reuters
The United States and Southern African nations are unlikely to clinch a free trade agreement but will continue talks at a lower level, South Africa’s trade minister said.
Top Ecuador FTA negotiator resigns
2-Jun-2006 Upside Down World
More fall out from the Ecuador-Oxy clash: things went from bad to worse for Ecuador-US Free Trade negotiations when Ecuador’s Minister of Finance, Jorge Illingworth and his successor, Manuel Chiriboga both resigned.
Agreement comes down to the wire
2-Jun-2006 Embassy Magazine
The Canadian government is facing demands to disclose a draft free trade agreement with four Central American nations currently in the final stages of deliberation behind closed doors.
US FTA expected in 3 years
2-Jun-2006 Korea Times
Despite ups and downs in the negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the United States, the two countries are likely to reach a final agreement in two to three years, according to a report by the Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) Wednesday.
Free trade pact: Follow Chile’s lead
2-Jun-2006 donga.com
"I felt like I was negotiating with US interest groups, not with the US government," says Alicia Frohmann, one of Chile’s chief negotiators on the US-Chile FTA, to Korean negotiators.
CRS Report for Congress: The proposed South Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUSFTA)
2-Jun-2006
The launching of the negotiations comes with a high degree of political risk for both South Korea and the United States. It comes as the US-South Korean alliance, while remaining very strong, has showed signs of fraying.
Bush sends 6, 000 soldiers to the Mexican border. Where will Europe send its soldiers when the EPAs are signed?
1-Jun-2006 abc Burkina
You may be asking yourself: " what is an EPA? " Well, you are not alone. In fact I have just met with a European Member of Parliament who is no more au courant than you. And that’s worrying!
South American Ministers vow to avoid TRIPS-plus measures
1-Jun-2006 TWN
The Ministers of Health of ten South American countries issued a joint declaration on intellectual property committing themselves to avoid "TRIPS plus" provisions in bilateral and regional trade agreements, to facilitate the use of compulsory licensing and parallel importing and to avoid broadening the scope of patentability and the extension of patentable areas.
Australia given signal of services fight
31-May-2006 The Standard
Beijing has told Canberra that opening access to China’s services industry will be the most difficult aspect in bilateral free-trade negotiations, according to an Australian official.
Explain benefits of FTA first, govt urged
30-May-2006 The Star
Kedah farmers have asked the government to explain the benefits that they could gain from the USA-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) before it proceeds with discussions scheduled to be held on June 12 in Penang.
Taiwan president urges US to consider free trade pact
30-May-2006 CNA
President Chen Shui-bian urged the US government Friday to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan, saying that an FTA would allow US agriculture and automobile exports to Taiwan to grow by 100 per cent.