Australia Minister To Push For Progress On ASEAN Free Trade Talks
- From: Chim <ChimS1@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 20:09:39 -0700 (PDT)
Australia Min To Push For Progress On ASEAN Free Trade Talks
CANBERRA -(Dow Jones)- Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean said
Friday he will push for progress on a free trade agreement between
Australia, New Zealand and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
at a meeting of ASEAN economic ministers in Bali this weekend.
The four-day meeting May 2-4 will also provide an opportunity for
Australia to lobby for a successful conclusion of the long-stalled
Doha round of global trade talks this year, Crean said in a statement.
The minister will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and
India's Commerce Minister Kamal Nath in Bali.
Progress in the Doha global trade talks, which began in November 2001,
has been hobbled by resistance to deep tariff cuts from developing
countries such as Brazil and India, while the U.S. and European Union
have been criticized for holding up the talks by not going far enough
to cut farm subsidies.
Australia is a major global supplier of farm products, and stands to
benefit from any liberalization of global trade in this area.
Turning to the Australia-ASEAN-New Zealand free trade talks, Crean
said Australian businesses have identified barriers to ASEAN markets,
particularly in manufactured goods, agriculture, and services.
"Reducing these barriers will benefit Australian businesses. It will
also benefit ASEAN," Crean said.
"The consultations provide an important and timely opportunity to
resolve some key outstanding issues in the negotiations for a free
trade agreement," he said.
ASEAN comprises Brunei Darrusalem, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
-By Rachel Pannett, Dow Jones Newswires; 61-2-6208-0901;
rachel.pannett@ dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
05-01-082234ET
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