S. Korea, EU to announce conclusion of FTA later Monday: official

STOCKHOLM, July 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the European Union have reached
agreement on a proposed free trade deal, leaving only initialing and signing of
the agreement before it can be submitted to their respective legislatures for
ratification, a South Korean official said Monday.

The official said what he called a "virtual" conclusion of the free trade
agreement (FTA) will be declared later Monday by South Korean President Lee
Myung-bak and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who are set to hold a
bilateral summit here.
Sweden assumed the six-month presidency of the EU at the beginning of the month.
"The leaders will announce that a mutual agreement on all remaining points of
contention has been reached and will call for an early initialing of the deal
following swift legal reviews," the official, deeply involved in the Korea-EU FTA
negotiations, told reporters here.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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