Thursday, November 29, 2007

News briefs – Free trade

* El Salvadorian President Tony Saca showed his support for free trade with the U.S. during a meeting with President George W. Bush on Thursday. In addition, Saca said that the Central American country will send a new yet reduced contingent of troops to Iraq.

* Israel and the Mercosur trading bloc are close to agreeing to a free trade pact according to Israeli officials. “It is something very important because it will be the first trade agreement for Israel in South America,” observed Israeli ambassador Itzhak Levanon over the possible agreement with what BBC News considers as the Americas’ leading trading bloc.”

* Trade between the members of North American Free Trade Agreement (U.S., Canada, Mexico) grew by almost 6% in September. The U.S. government report also said that U.S.-Mexico trade was worth over $24 billion during that month.

* Much progress has been made in the latest round of free trade discussions between Peru and Canada admitted a top Peruvian trade official. Meanwhile, economists with a major U.S. manufacturing group asserted that a U.S.-Peru pact being debated in Congress is “a waste of time and a diversion from more pressing issues”.

Sources- Voice of America, AFP, Associated Press, Forbes.com, BBC News, Living in Peru, Western Farm Press

Image- USA TODAY (Mexican trucks cross into the U.S.)

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