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Asean wants

free trade

link with NAFTA

SINGAPORE: Members of Southeast Asia's free trade area want to link up with the North American free trade region, a senior ASEAN official said on Tuesday.

Ridzwan Dzafir, the director-general of Singapore's Trade Development Board (TDB) told reporters the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) would like Mexico and Canada to take part in the next discussions held between the Asian grouping and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

ASEAN economic ministers (AEM) were due to meet the U.S. Trade Representative in May but the meeting has been postponed, probably until June, because of the departure of former USTR Mickey Kantor, officials said.

Kantor was named U.S. Commerce Secretary earlier this month replacing the late Ron Brown.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico are grouped in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

"We want to encourage the USTR to invite (its) other partners in NAFTA, Mexico and Canada, to be also present at the forthcoming AEM-USTR meeting," Ridzwan said.

He was speaking in Singapore after a preparatory meeting for the ASEAN economic ministers' meeting, also in Singapore, scheduled for this Friday and Saturday.

"I think it is a good beginning for a linkage between ASEAN and NAFTA," Ridzwan said.-Reuter