Chief Thai negotiator Nitya Pibulsongkaram has resigned from the team negotiating the Thai–US free trade agreement (FTA).
The news was duly confirmed, Thursday by the Prime Minister to reporters.
He said that recent critical comments passed by non-governmental organizations led to the resignation of Nitya from the FTA negotiating team.
The new development has placed Vice Minister for Commerce, Uttama Savanayana to lead the team of negotiators henceforth.
Last week, the sixth round of trade negotiations broke off abruptly in the face of strong protest by local public at Chiang Mai, Thailand.
However, the seventh round of trade negotiations is expected to be held in Washington DC, US.
The US is one of the largest export markets for Thailand while Thailand is the 18th biggest US trading partner. US statistics reveal that bilateral trade went up 14 percent to $23.9 billion (Baht 980 billion) in 2004.
marketing@alchempro.com
