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Guatemalan bishop: Free trade widens gap between rich, poor
14-Jun-2006 Catholic Online
Free trade under the current economic rules can only widen the gap between rich and poor in the Americas, said the head of the Guatemalan bishops’ conference.
Is free trade just? Church speaks for those who fall through cracks
14-Jun-2006 Catholic Online
Free trade agreements have become a bone of contention again in the Andes, and Catholics must take a stand, said an international economic development policy adviser for the US bishops.
Coalition on US-Malaysia FTA memorandum to the government of Malaysia
14-Jun-2006 FTA Malaysia
Given the lack of transparency and accountability in the on-going negotiations and the strong likelihood of an imbalanced outcome in the US-Malaysia FTA negotiations, we urgently call on the government to halt all further negotiations until a comprehensive cost-benefit assessment is done.
Iraq eyes EU trade deal
14-Jun-2006 Fin24
Iraq’s new government plans to start immediately negotiating a trade and cooperation deal with the European Union, its foreign minister said Monday hailing a "new chapter" in ties with the bloc.
The rise in bilateral free trade agreements
13-Jun-2006 Council on Foreign Relations
In the absence of a breakthrough in multilateral talks, the Bush administration has pressed ahead with smaller bilateral free trade agreements to secure preferential deals as well as cement ties with strategically important countries in the Middle East, the Pacific Rim, and Latin America.
Malaysian-US FTA talks ’easier’ than Thai
13-Jun-2006
The United States and Malaysia began a first round of talks Monday to forge a bilateral free trade agreement they hope will be concluded by early next year.
Trade treaties and challenging US hegemony in the Americas
13-Jun-2006
Venezuela’s president Hugo Chávez, Brazil’s president Lula Inacio da Silva, and Nestor Kirchner, president of Argentina, met in Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 26 to discuss possibilities for integration and collaboration. On April 29, Cuba’s president Fidel Castro met with Chávez and newly elected Bolivian president Evo Morales to sign a People Trade Agreement (TPC), which is seen as a step towards the alternative trade agreement being proposed by Chávez, the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA).
Korea pledges to protect farmers in FTA talks
13-Jun-2006
South Korea aims to protect sensitive agricultural products even if a free trade agreement (FTA) is signed with the United States, a government negotiator said Tuesday.
US FTA a different ball game altogether
13-Jun-2006
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between Malaysia and the United States, which kicked off yesterday (12 June 2006) on the island of Penang, were wrapped in secrecy even though the issues to be discussed have far-reaching implications for Malaysian citizens and Malaysia as a sovereign nation. Mind you, all this is unfolding within the larger context of the din, frenzy and exhilaration of the World Cup.
United States and Rwanda sign agreement to deepen trade and investment relations
13-Jun-2006
The United States and Rwanda today signed an agreement aimed at deepening and strengthening trade and investment ties between the two countries.
Malaysia says cautious on US trade deal
13-Jun-2006 AFP
Malaysia said it was proceeding cautiously with negotiations for a free-trade deal with the United States which began this week, and would not act against the national interest.
Japan-Malaysia FTA to take effect on July 13
13-Jun-2006 Kyodo
A free trade agreement between Japan and Malaysia will take effect on July 13 to scrap tariffs on essentially all industrial goods and most agricultural, forestry and fishery products within 10 years, the Japanese government said Tuesday.
Seoul gives much, takes little in FTA talks with Washington
13-Jun-2006
South Korea and the United States ended their first round of formal five-day talks for a free trade agreement, but South Korean negotiators returned home empty-handed.
US envoy addresses Qatari businessmen
13-Jun-2006 The Peninsula
The US ambassador to Qatar, Chase Untermeyer, has said he hoped that Qatar follows into the footsteps of its GCC neighbours and concludes a free trade agreement (FTA) with his country.
Ex-US official sees S Korea-US FTA as ’wake-up call’ to Japan
13-Jun-2006 Kyodo
A successful conclusion of South Korea-US free trade agreement talks would be a "wake-up call" to Japan and the United States for a similar accord between the two countries, a former senior US trade official said in a recent interview.
Malaysians protest against free trade talks with US
13-Jun-2006 TWN
As Malaysia and the United States began their first round of talks on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), they were confronted by a group of Malaysian protesters concerned that the agreement will cause the country more harm than good.
By 80%, Dominican firms cannot compete in Free Trade
13-Jun-2006 Dominican Today
Approximately 80% of the 4,000 firms that operate in the country are not prepared to compete in the framework of the Free Trade Agreement with Central America and Central America (DR-CAFTA).
Atlantica trade zone talks spark 2nd day of protest
12-Jun-2006 CBC
Activists protested for a second day in New Brunswick on Saturday as business leaders met to discuss a proposed free-trade zone for the Maritimes, Quebec and northeastern United States.
Canada hopes to conclude free trade agreement with India
12-Jun-2006 New Kerala
Canada hopes to sign an investment promotion and protection agreement with India later this year that would encourage free trade between the two countries, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said.
EU presses for conclusion of free-trade deal with GCC
12-Jun-2006 The Daily Star
European Union trade chief Peter Mandelson called Saturday for talks in Brussels with the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, so that a final free trade deal with the Gulf Arab bloc can be struck by year-end.