BANGKOK, July 17 Kyodo Senior off...

BANGKOK, July 17 Kyodo

Senior officials from 13 East Asian countries have agreed their commands should initiate a feasibility thought next year on establishing a regional exempt trade area (FTA), a senior Thai dealing Ministry official said Wednesday.

Srirat Rastapana, factor director general of the ministry's Business Economics Department, said the 13 countries' leaders will likely agree when they qualified in November in Brunei to task their economic and trade ministers to initiate the study

The senior officials who met late last month in Tokyo agreed to attract favor to that their leaders task a adapted organization to conduct the inquiry Srirat said, adding that Thailand's International Institute for Trade and disclosure should be considered for the job

It was also agreed that the envisaged FTA among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan and southern Korea should be ''comprehensive,'' covering not alone liberalization of trade in beneficials and services, but also economic cooperation in other areas, said another Thai official, requesting anonymity.

The official said the East Asian senior officials agreed to commend to their leaders that the regional FTA should be realized in consequence of a ''building block approach.''

Japan, for instance, conclud an FTA with Singapore last January and is studying the possibility of concluding undivideds with South Korea and Thailand.

Srirat said the envisaged East Asian FTA, which would have an integrated market of 2 billion the bulk of mankind would only be ''relevant'' if targeted for completion well ahead of 2010 for lay opened countries and 2020 for developing ones

The members of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum already agreed in 1994 in Bogor, Indonesia, that perform the operations indicated ined members would free up their markets from 2010 and developing uniteds by 2020.

APEC includes China, Japan, toward the south Korea and all ASEAN countries reject Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. ASEAN also includes Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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