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The Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Kamal Nath

Our Bureau

New Delhi, Aug.23 The 39th Asean Economic Ministers (AEM) meeting scheduled on August 26 to discuss the wrapping up of the free trade agreement (FTA) between the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations and India has been deferred.

Sources in the Government said that instead there would be a senior official level meeting in Manila on August 25 and the Commerce Secretary, Mr Gopal K. Pillai, would be taking part in the discussions. Though no reason was advanced for the postponement of the AEM, sources here indicated that the inability of the Union Commerce & Industry Minister Mr Kamal Nath to take part in the proceedings on the 6th Asean-India trade ministers’ meet on August 26 might be one of the reasons why Asean has called off the AEM.

Since for technical reasons Asean could not go ahead with final negotiations for the FTA in the absence of India’s Trade Minister, the sources said that the officials would meet to advance the negotiations further so that a mutually convenient date could be worked out to convene a meeting of the trade ministers later to make a final call on the pending issues which have held up the finalisation of an Asean-India FTA on goods.

It may be noted that both sides missed the July-end deadline to reach an accord and with the deferment of the AEM on August 25, the trade ministers would have to race against time for their exclusive summit in Singapore in November 2007 for the heads of government to endorse the AEM’s decision.

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