MORE TALKS ON ASEAN-INDIA FTA

BANGKOK, Feb 26 (Bernama) -- Further discussions on the Asean-India Free
Trade Agreement (FTA) will take place Thursday in Hua Hin, Bangkok, where the
14th Asean Summit will take place, deputy secretary-general for the Asean
economic community, S. Pushpanathan, said Wednesday.

"We are still working at the official level on further discussions. We also
hear from the official channel that India is not ready. I would like to discuss
this with Malaysia, the lead in the (Asean-India FTA) negotiation Thursday," he
told reporters on the sidelines of the 2008 Asean Business and Investment
Summit.

The Asean-India FTA is important for Asean as a region, according to
Pushpanathan.

"On the part of Asean we are ready and there is something that India has to
sort out," he said.

Puspanathan said among the factors was the sequence of reduction in tariffs,
which will result in two tariff cuts in one fiscal year.

"India feels this is too much for them," he said.

If the agreement, seeking to make 95 percent of the goods to be traded
between India and Asean duty-free, were to be signed during the summit, the
first phase of reduction will start in June, to be followed by second in January
2010.

Currently, trade between India and Asean amounted close to US$40 billion and
the target is to reach US$50 billion by 2010.

-- BERNAMA