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<title>FTAA: PETTIGREW WELCOMES PROGRESS MADE IN MIAMI</title>
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<p><font face="Arial"></font><font face="Arial" size="+1"></font><font face="Arial" size="+1"></font><font face="Arial" size="+1"><strong>November 20, 2003 <em>(7:15 p.m. EST)</em> No. 177</strong></font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Arial" size="+1"><strong>FTAA: PETTIGREW WELCOMES PROGRESS MADE IN MIAMI</strong></font><font face="Arial" size="+1"></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew and his 33 hemispheric partners today concluded in Miami,
Florida, the 8th Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) ministerial meeting.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">"I welcome the progress that was made in Miami," said Minister Pettigrew. "Although we did not achieve all that
we had sought, we have succeeded in narrowing differences on the way forward for the final phase of
negotiations. We remain committed to creating a comprehensive, high-quality FTAA that promotes economic
integration in the Americas and offers new opportunities for Canadian business and investors."</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">At the ministerial meeting, trade ministers re-affirmed their commitment to concluding by January 2005 a
comprehensive and balanced agreement that will expand prosperity and foster economic growth throughout the
hemisphere. </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Trade ministers also agreed to release the third version of the negotiating text in the four official languages of
the FTAA--English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. The release of the latest negotiating text is a further
reflection of Canada's efforts to increase transparency in the FTAA process. A link to the text and the
ministerial declaration will be available at: <a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221102103/http://www.ftaa.gc.ca/">http://www.ftaa.gc.ca</a></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">The meeting also featured a report presented by Labour Minister Claudette Bradshaw and her Mexican and
Brazilian counterparts on the labour dimensions of economic integration in the hemisphere.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">In addition to the ministerial meeting, Minister Pettigrew met with the participants of the Americas Trade and
Sustainable Development Forum as well as the Americas Business Forum to exchange views on issues related
to the FTAA negotiations, including labour, environment, transparency and civil society participation. He also
met with parliamentarians participating in a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">The FTAA was conceived in December 1994 at the inaugural Summit of the Americas in Miami. Negotiations
toward a hemisphere-wide free trade area were launched by the 34 democratic countries of the Americas in
1998.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">For more information on the FTAA, including the latest version of the draft agreement and details on Canada's
position and proposals, visit the FTAA section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's
Web site: <a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221102103/http://www.ftaa.gc.ca/">http://www.ftaa.gc.ca</a></font><font face="Arial"></font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Arial">- 30 -</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">For further information, media representatives may contact:</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Sébastien Théberge</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Director of Communications</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Office of the Minister for International Trade</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">(613) 992-7332<a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221102103/mailto:sebastien.theberge@dfait-maeci.gc.ca"></a></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff"><u>sebastien.theberge@dfait-maeci.gc.ca</u></font><font face="Arial"><u></u></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial"><u>Media Relations Office</u></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial"><u>Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade</u></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial"><u>(613) 995-1874</u></font></p>
<p><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221102103/http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/"><font face="Arial"><u>http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca</a></u></font></p>
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