Number: RL32638
Title: Middle East Free Trade Area: Progress Report
Authors: Mary Jane Bolle, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: The purpose of this report is to describe MEFTA in terms of: (1) its impetus, (2) its major elements; (3) background trade data, (4) details; and (5) arguments for each. At the back of this report are five tables. Table 1 outlines the basic elements of MEFTA. Table 2 tracks the steps each entity has taken toward a free trade agreement with the United States: WTO membership, eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences, and achievement of three types of agreements - trade investment framework agreements, bilateral investment treaties, and free trade agreements. Tables 3 and 4 list for each entity, U.S. import and export totals and shares of key commodities traded. Table 5 shows the current value and share of world and U.S. foreign direct investment, respectively, in various entities.
Pages: 18
Date: July 3, 2006