US kicks off FTA talks with UAE
AFP, Abu Dhabi
The head of the US team which kicked off talks on a free trade pact with Emirati counterparts Tuesday brushed off Saudi concerns that such bilateral deals hinder Gulf economic integration, saying Riyadh's turn to sign up will come. "We in no way see this as threatening to the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)," Assistant US Trade Representative Catherine Novelli told reporters after a first round of talks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital. "We strongly support the GCC. We've talked with the Saudis directly about that. We certainly do foresee down the road ... a region-wide free trade agreement (FTA) that would include Saudi Arabia and certainly would include a bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia," she said. The negotiations put the UAE on course to become the second GCC member after Bahrain to conclude an FTA with the United States. Similar talks with Oman are due to start shortly after the end of the first, three-day round with Abu Dhabi, and Novelli said Washington had had "very serious discussions with Qatar and Kuwait" on similar agreements.
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