ASEAN should address India`s FTA concerns, says Kamal Nath
08 Jan 2007
Commerce and industries minister Kamal Nath has said that ASEAN should address Indian sensitivities in the ongoing negotiations for the free trade agreement within the regional trading bloc.
Nath was speaking on the sidelines of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conclave in New Delhi, ahead of the PM''s trip to the Philippines for the ASEAN summit due to be held in the resort island of Cebu from 10 January to 15 January. .
Nath will be in the Philippines before the PM''s arrival to attempt a consensus with ASEAN on the disputative issue of the ''negative list''. India has offered to reduce its negative list of imports from 563 to 490.
ASEAN countries like Vietnam and Indonesia have asked for a greater market access for agricultural commodities like palm oil and pepper.
Nath stated that India was negotiating to conclude a new trade agreement with Mauritius. in the next few months.
