Thai trade talks get a move on

Even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stated here on Thursday that he would take a "hard look" at all the proposed free trade agreements between India and other countries, there were indications that the thorny issues blocking the conclusion of a Indo-Thailand free trade agreement could get resolved by tomorrow.

Addressing mediapersons on board the PM's special aircraft, Singh said his government was only two months old, but it would take a hard look at all the proposed agreements to strengthen the areas of co-operation envisaged in them. "We will look at them realistically," he said.

Later Indian government officials sounded optimistic about a breakthrough in the talks with the Thai government officials over the main irritants coming in the way of concluding the free trade agreement between the two countries.

"It is possible that an early harvest list of about 80 items to be covered by the agreement is finalised by tomorrow," said an official. A compromise formula on the contentious issue of determining the rules of origin was also expected to finalised.

The prime minister's stress on taking a hard look at free trade agreements is being viewed here as a statement in conformity with his overall approach of "promising less and delivering more".

A realistic review of free trade agreements was expected to result in some changes in the existing frameworks being discussed with the partner countries, but on the whole they would mean a forward movement, explained an official.

The prime minister also attached a lot of importance to the BIMST-EC summit meeting, scheduled to start on Saturday, and defended India's move to be part of the regional group as an integral part of its "look east" policy.

"We in South Asia must work together with South East Asian countries and realise our development goals. The BIMST-EC meeting would strengthen economic co-operation among countries of South Asia and South East Asia," he said.

Singh said the BIMST-EC summit would help give a political direction to strengthen economic co-operation and this group would function as a bridge between South Asia and South East Asia.