Preferential trade agreements used to be sufficiently rare that their creation warranted an announcement. At the current rate, however, I may have to cease the practice.

S KOREA, U.S. TO ANNOUNCE START OF FTA NEGOTIATIONS

WASHINGTON – South Korea and the United States will announce the start of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations Thursday on Capitol Hill with a July 2007 deadline in mind. The talks will begin in May after three months of consultations between the Bush administration and the Congress. U.S. officials hope to wrap up the talks before the “trade promotion authority” runs out in July.