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Malaysian farmers, activists and opposition parties have been demanding a halt to the talks on a free-trade agreement (FTA), which they say will damage livelihoods.
<P>"We are happy, Malaysia did
not meet the deadline," said Y Kohila, a coordinator with the group People’s
Coalition Against FTA.</P><P>"We will continue to oppose the FTA. Definitely,
the anti-FTA demonstrations has forced Malaysia to miss the deadline. It is a
victory for now," she added.</P><P>The United States has ruled out securing
a free trade agreement (FTA) with Malaysia before President George W Bush loses
his authority to "fast-track" trade deals on July 1.</P><P>The expiry
date gave US negotiators up to March 31 to present a deal for a mandatory 90-day
review by the US Congress. Any agreement secured after the March 31 deadline will
make congressional approval a complex exercise.</P><P>Former prime minister Dr
Mahathir Mohamad warned in March that a trade deal with the United States may
harm the economy and constrain government policy.</P><P>"I worry the FTA
with the US may have an adverse effect on us," he said.</P><P>The two nations
last held FTA talks in February, but failed to set a date for further discussions
after negotiations bogged down.</P><P><B>The sticking point</B></P><P>Malaysia
maintains positive discrimination policies that provide special privileges to
indigenous and ethnic Malay-owned firms, a sticking point for US negotiators.</P><P>Deputy
Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Thursday that talks with the United State "will
be held fairly soon" after the government reached negotiating positions on
its policies.</P><P>A spokesman for the US Trade Representative last week said
a Malaysian team is scheduled to come to the United States in mid-April for consultations.</P><P>S
Arutchelvan, spokesman with the rights group Suaram said if the FTA deal was sealed,
Malaysian workers and farmers could lose their livelihood.</P><P>"Inflow
of cheap goods will cause Malaysian companies to close shop. Workers may lose
their jobs," he said.</P><P>"The failure of the FTA talks is a success
for us. We continue to spread the anti-FTA message," he added. – AFP</P>
<P><I>Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/65344</I>
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