MITI TO SEEK MANDATE FROM CABINET ON FREE TRADE DIRECTION WITH US

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of International Trade and
Industry (MITI) will within a month, seek a mandate from the Cabinet with regard
to the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States and also
the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).

Its minister Mustapa Mohamed said he would inform the Cabinet that the
United States government does not want the FTA but TPP, adding that the ministry
was now conducting an internal study on the latter.

The TPP was signed by New Zealand, Chile and Singapore on July 18, 2005 and
by Brunei on August 2, 2005.

"We will have internal meetings to find out more about the TPP. We will then
seek a mandate from the Cabinet on the direction with regards to the TPP and at
the same time, the position on bilateral trade with the United States.

"We need to know if we should embrace the TPP or abandon the bilateral FTA
with the United States," he said at a media briefing on the Asean Free Trade
Area (AFTA) here Wednesday.

US President Barack Obama recently confirmed that his country would
participate in the broader TPP that would include Singapore, New Zealand,
Brunei, Chile, Australia, Peru, and Vietnam.

Expressing disappointment, Mustapa said that Malaysia had engaged the United
States in negotiations on the FTA since 2006.

"It is now clear that the bilateral free trade pact is not a priority for
the United States," he added.
-- BERNAMA