*EPF314 01/29/2003
Trade Agreement with Singapore Called Model For Future Accords
(Starting point for discussion with others, Ambassador Lavin Says) (270)

By Kristofer Angle
**

Washington -- Frank Lavin, U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, spoke up for the free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and Singapore at a Washington conference hosted by the U.S. ASEAN Business Council on January 28.

With the Bush administration backing free trade agreements between the United States and key friends and allies such as Australia, Morocco, and Central America, the Singapore FTA could be seen as a possible template for future FTA deals, Lavin told reporters at the event.

"The Singapore-U.S. Free Trade Agreement will act as a starting point to build upon for discussions with other countries such as Australia," said Lavin.

Negotiations with Australia on a free trade agreement will begin in March of this year, he said.

The agreement with Singapore, which is the eleventh largest American export market, is the first FTA the U.S. has established in Asia. Backers of the agreement say it is the most significant FTA the United States has undertaken since the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Upon congressional approval, the U.S.-Singapore agreement would take effect on January 1, 2004 with the full compliance to be phased in over the next four years, according to Lavin.

The previous day, Lavin spoke with the U.S.-Singapore Congressional Caucus on Capitol Hill.

The ambassador was scheduled to travel to New York City January 29 to speak about the U.S.-Singapore FTA to trade and financial experts there.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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