LOS
ANGELES - The United States and Panama
concluded the second round of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement
June 7-11 and announced that the next round of negotiations will be held in
Panama during
the week of July 12. Regina Vargo
and Romel Adames, lead negotiators for the United
States and
Panama
respectively, expressed their satisfaction with the five days of talks, and
their appreciation to their host, the City of Los
Angeles.
During this round, both
partners were pleased with having made progress on the text. Negotiating groups also focused on
discussing the initial market access offers that had been exchanged to gain a
better understanding of each other’s priorities and sensitivities. Both sides also were pleased with the
discussions in the individual negotiating groups, each of which aired the issues
and will follow-up with more information and, where appropriate, requests for
the next round in
Panama.
