US-UAE postpone free trade talks amid ports row

11 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and United Arab Emirates have postponed free trade talks set for next week, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Friday.

The announcement came one day after state-owned Dubai Ports World, facing intense U.S. political opposition, said it would sell recently acquired U.S. assets to an American entity.

"The U.S. and UAE are strongly committed to making progress on our FTA negotiations. In order to get an agreement that both sides can successfully implement, we need additional time to prepare for the next round of negotiations," Neena Moorjani, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office, said.

Moorjani downplayed the delay, saying they often happen in the course of free trade negotiations.

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What does the UAE have to trade with us? SAND?