TICK TOCK... The US is ramping up pressure to secure a Trans-Pacific Trade Deal with conditions that could undermine the national interests of nations involved. WikiLeaks documents say talks are “paralyzed,” with the US refusing to compromise on disputed issues. Anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks has released two documents revealing the state of negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The deal in question includes 12 countries – the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei – which represent more than 40 percent of the world’s gross domestic product. The 12 nations are in Singapore this week to discuss the trade agreement. Following a closed-door meeting in Singapore, Japans trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told press he would like “the United States to show flexibility.” Ive already mentioned the parts we cant budge on, so the issue is what both sides can do based on that,” Nishimura said. Details of the deal had been hidden from the public eye until last month when WikiLeaks divulged a trove of information describing the ins and outs of the agreement. Washington has been criticized for not revealing the details of the agreement. WikiLeaks’ files show that there is significant disagreement over 119 outstanding issues, with the US refusing to compromise on a number of contentious issues. It is not clear from which of the 12 countries participating in the talks the leaks came.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Dec 2013 16:42:23 +0000
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