Gulf States: EU Hampering Free-Trade Deal

CALGARY — The political will is high to conclude a free trade deal between Canada and the European Union, even if negotiations to resolve outstanding issues are taking longer than expected, the head of the economic and trade section of the EU’s delegation in Canada said Wednesday.

A sweeping free trade pact between the European Union and South Korea, the first in Asia for the world's largest economic bloc, came into effect on Friday, officials in Seoul said."The South Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) took effect as of early Friday," Kim Hee-Sang, director for FTA negotiations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, told AFP.The ministry said in a statement that the deal would "open up new opportunities for trade and investment" between South Korea and the EU and strengthen diplomatic relations between the two partners.

Today Secretary Gary Locke and the congressional delegation concluded their three-day trip to Seoul with a visit to the Demilitarized Zone – the border between South and North Korea – and a lunch with U.S troops and their families at Yongsan Garrison to thank them for their service. The group also met with leaders of South Korea’s Democratic Party and Grand National Party at Korea’s National Assembly to discuss the U.S.-South Korea Trade Agreement (KORUS). “Over the last few days we have had the opportunity to see first-hand the benefits that KORUS will bring to the economies of both the U.S. and Korea,” Locke said. “There is great demand for U.S. products -- from made-in-America cell phone components to life-saving medical equipment. This agreement will increase mutually beneficial trade, strengthen our economies and create jobs in both of our countries.” Locke also visited Seoul National University Hospital for a demonstration of Varian Medical Systems’ (Palo Alto, Calif.) advanced radiotherapy technology.  Varian is the world leader in this life-saving, cancer treatment technology with approximately $34 million worth of annual sales to South Korea.  Their equipment is manufactured in California and Utah and exported globally. Under the U.S.-South Korea trade agreement, the tariff on Varian’s products would be eliminated, making the company more competitive in the Korean market. 

OTTAWA — “Considerable progress” has been made towards a free trade deal between Canada and the European Union, but there are still outstanding issues that must be settled before an agreement can be finalized, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says. “There remain some important issues to resolve, and obviously nothing is resolved until everything is resolved,” Harper said Thursday during a visit to Ottawa by French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.

Gulf states leading mediation efforts to end a political crisis in Yemen hope to reach a deal by which embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh would quit, Qatar's prime minister said on Thursday.Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council "hope to reach a deal with the Yemeni president to step down," Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani said according to QNA state news agency.Foreign ministers of the GCC agreed Sunday to begin contacts with the Yemeni government and the opposition "with ideas to overcome the current situation".