WASHINGTON _ U.S. President George W. Bush pressed the Congress on Tuesday to approve the four pending free trade agreements (FTA), including that with South Korea, which he said would provide the U.S. with new opportunities and strengthened friendship.
The trade deal with Seoul is "historic," he said at the White House before a meeting with corporate and trade association leaders. The agreement would "make it easier for American companies to sell and invest in one of the world's most important markets," he said.
"Opening up the markets in South Korea will be good for American workers. It will mean somebody is more likely to have a higher paying job," Bush said.
Three of the four FTAs are with Latin American nations _ Peru, Colombia and Panama. The deal with South Korea is the first such U.S. agreement with an Asian nation. The Peru FTA faces House and Senate votes and is expected to pass. The vote on the South Korean agreement, signed in June, is likely sometime in spring next year.
Bush said the U.S. needs to pass the FTA with a "vital democratic ally in the Far East, and that's South Korea."
"The time has come for Congress to act," the president said. "These trade bills are important economic measures and they are important national security measures as well."
(Yonhap)