Mr Bush came to power last year a committed free-trader: he envisages the creation of a Free Trade Area of the Americas, building on the North American Free-Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and stretching from Canada to Chile.

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One particularly raw area: a free-trade agreement with South Korea.

FORBES: Magazine Article

On April 22, 1985, the United States and Israel entered into the Agreement on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Israel (USIFTA), which the Congress approved in the United States-Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act of 1985 (the "USIFTA Act") (19 U.S.C. 2112 note).

WHITEHOUSE: The White House

Even the more modest goal of a free-trade area, if it is to be a credible one, means that they can no longer shirk agreement on a few common laws (on matters such as competition policy) and some minimal common institutions, including a permanent tribunal to settle trade disputes.

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