The Hindu : Front Page : Publish draft of pact: Isaac

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Wednesday, Jul 29, 2009
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Publish draft of pact: Isaac

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac has said that nothing short of a threadbare discussion with the Centre on the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA), for which the Union Cabinet had recently given its nod, could dispel Kerala’s misgivings about the terms of the pact.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Dr. Isaac said that Kerala was surprised why there should be lack of transparency on a trade pact that could have far-reaching consequences to it. The assurances the Union Minister for Commerce had purportedly given to Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy during a discussion between them on Tuesday could not dispel the State’s apprehensions.

He noted that the framework of the FTA was prepared in October 2003. Discussions between the ASEAN countries on the draft of the agreement were over in August 2008. The State had presented its concerns to the Centre at that stage itself. But the then Union Minister for Commerce had ridiculed the State’s representation saying that those who objected to the FTA did not even know its contents. “The situation is the same even at this stage. Kerala is still kept in the dark. We have only rumours and speculations,” Dr. Isaac said. He asked the Centre to publish the draft agreement so that the people of the country would know what the bargain was. He said that Mr. Chandy’s assertion that “items ranging from sardines to tapioca are in the negative list” did not mean anything.

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