US-led trade deal talks to carry on to next round
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US-led trade deal talks to carry on to next round
Associated Press Updated: February 25, 2014 at 8:32 am Published: February 25, 2014
TOKYO (AP) Negotiators ended talks on a comprehensive trans-Pacific trade pact on Tuesday without a final agreement, but said they were pleased with the progress they had made in Singapore despite persisting conflicts over agricultural tariffs and other issues.
Another round of talks is planned, possibly in May in Qingdao, China, on the sidelines of a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
"All the ministers are leaving here now fully committed to getting this done," U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman told reporters in a conference call. He described the talks as "very good."
As this round of talks drew to an inconclusive end, Japan's head delegate to the talks, Akira Amari, said that wide gaps remained, but he was committed to resolving them.