ISDS Case Map
Oman
A bill sent by President Bush to Congress on Monday enacting a free trade agreement with the Arab Gulf state of Oman triggered a rebuke from the top Senate Democrat, who said it omitted a provision barring goods made with forced labor.
Even as Congress has finally begun a serious debate about whether U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Iraq, another part of President Bush's "war on terror" is advancing with far less public fanfare. Last month, the Senate Finance Committee approved the implementation of the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement and cleared the way for its consideration by Congress.
Five months after signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US, Oman continues to restrict the import of Israeli-made goods despite a pledge made to the US that it would not boycott the Jewish state, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Congressional Republicans announced plans on Monday to begin work on legislation to enact a US free trade deal with Oman, despite Democratic demands that the Gulf kingdom first provide stronger assurances it will bring its labor laws in line with international standards.
Amidst rising anti-trade sentiment in Congress, House Republicans and Democrats wrangled over labor rights issues Wednesday demanding that a US free trade deal with the Omani government include stronger provisions to protect workers rights.
The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) yesterday signalled that a vote in Congress on the Oman-US Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) might be scheduled for late spring.
The US Senate Finance Committee heard testimony from Mideast and business experts mostly in support of enhancing economic cooperation in a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the United States and Oman, a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member-state.
A February 2006 report from the US International Trade Commission
Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Bush administration has placed democratization and reform in the Middle East at the top of its agenda. While press reports have focused on political developments, another key component to the American strategy entails encouraging economic growth, modernization, and liberalization throughout the region.
Notwithstanding the Democrats' reservations over the existing labour laws in Oman, the United States is confident that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that it had signed on January 19 this year in Washington will sail through smoothly in the Congress in the next few months.
