India today urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)member countries to expedite negotiations for making the region a free trade area by July 2007 with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promising to take steps for a free skies policy and tax rate alignment as part of the "look east" approach."We should direct our trade ministers to expedite the negotiations so that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) can be finalised as agreed by July 2007," Singh said told the 5th India-ASEAN summit.As part of aligning India's economic policies with those of the region, Singh said that "we have a policy objective of aligning our duty rates with ASEAN and would be willing to engage ASEAN authorities in a discussion on open skies policy".Pointing to the significance of ASEAN, he said while external trade with east Asian countries accounted for a 30% share, India would surpass the trade target of $30 billion with ASEAN by 2007."I believe that the India-ASEAN FTA will impart even further momentum to this growth in trade. We are strongly committed to its early conclusion and implementation," Singh told leaders of the 10-nation grouping that includes Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.India was for economic integration by entering into free trade or comprehensive economic partnership pacts both with ASEAN as a whole and with individual countries, he said.
