The White House said Tuesday U.S. President Barack Obama wants to reach a deal on the ratification of the pending free-trade deal with South Korea before he flies to Seoul for a summit of the leaders of 20 major economies, Yonhap News Agency reported.
In a statement, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "The president underscored that we hope to use the next week to make progress toward an agreement," according to Yonhap. "If we can reach a satisfactory agreement on the key issues for American workers, we will have a deal."
Gibbs was discussing the telephone conversation Obama had with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak late Monday ahead of his travel to Seoul for the G-20 summit on Nov. 11 and 12.
Obama embarks Friday on a 10-day trip to Asia which will also take him to India, Indonesia and Japan.