ID :
39321
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 16:53
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/39321
The shortlink copeid
Parties reach tentative agreement on voting on key bills
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's rival parties reached a temporary agreement Tuesday to end a voting standoff over hotly contested bills including a free trade deal with the U.S., raising hopes that parliament will get back to normal after a three-week paralysis.
At a meeting earlier in the day, partisan negotiators bridged differences on when
to vote on ratifying the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) and some 80 other
government-initiated bills as the National Assembly's extraordinary session nears
its end.
"Talks have been completed ... but the agreement is a temporary one. Each party
should approve the agreement," Hong Joon-pyo, the ruling Grand National Party
(GNP) floor leader, said after the meeting.
Tension climaxed over the weekend when fierce clashes erupted between officials
from opposition parties and security guards, who tried to end a sit-in by the
Democratic Party (DP) and the Democratic Labor Party.
The scuffle inside the Assembly building left 53 guards injured and one
opposition lawmaker with a minor injury to his arm. If the DP were removed from
the premises, the GNP, which holds 172 seats in the 298-member Assembly, would
have easily been able to pass the disputed bills.
Before the partisan meeting, opposition lawmakers ended their 12-day siege of the
nation's parliament. Democratic Party legislators had occupied the National
Assembly since Dec. 26 to physically block voting on scores of reform bills and
the FTA.
South Korea and the U.S. signed the FTA in 2007, with some studies suggesting the
agreement could increase their two-way trade of US$78 billion by 20 billion in
the coming years. The U.S. Congress has yet to ratify the pact.
The opposition says the bill must include measures to protect farmers, laborers
and others expected to suffer from a surge in imports from the U.S.
Another key issue is a ruling party-sponsored bill to ease rules on business and
newspaper ownership of broadcasters, which opponents argue would help
pro-government newspapers and television stations.
President Lee Myung-bak and his GNP want to quickly pass the FTA and other reform
measures that they say will help steer the export-driven economy through the
global financial crisis and deepening economic slump.
These reforms include sweeping tax cuts, easing bank ownership regulations and
privatizing state-run firms.
sam@yna.co.kr
At a meeting earlier in the day, partisan negotiators bridged differences on when
to vote on ratifying the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) and some 80 other
government-initiated bills as the National Assembly's extraordinary session nears
its end.
"Talks have been completed ... but the agreement is a temporary one. Each party
should approve the agreement," Hong Joon-pyo, the ruling Grand National Party
(GNP) floor leader, said after the meeting.
Tension climaxed over the weekend when fierce clashes erupted between officials
from opposition parties and security guards, who tried to end a sit-in by the
Democratic Party (DP) and the Democratic Labor Party.
The scuffle inside the Assembly building left 53 guards injured and one
opposition lawmaker with a minor injury to his arm. If the DP were removed from
the premises, the GNP, which holds 172 seats in the 298-member Assembly, would
have easily been able to pass the disputed bills.
Before the partisan meeting, opposition lawmakers ended their 12-day siege of the
nation's parliament. Democratic Party legislators had occupied the National
Assembly since Dec. 26 to physically block voting on scores of reform bills and
the FTA.
South Korea and the U.S. signed the FTA in 2007, with some studies suggesting the
agreement could increase their two-way trade of US$78 billion by 20 billion in
the coming years. The U.S. Congress has yet to ratify the pact.
The opposition says the bill must include measures to protect farmers, laborers
and others expected to suffer from a surge in imports from the U.S.
Another key issue is a ruling party-sponsored bill to ease rules on business and
newspaper ownership of broadcasters, which opponents argue would help
pro-government newspapers and television stations.
President Lee Myung-bak and his GNP want to quickly pass the FTA and other reform
measures that they say will help steer the export-driven economy through the
global financial crisis and deepening economic slump.
These reforms include sweeping tax cuts, easing bank ownership regulations and
privatizing state-run firms.
sam@yna.co.kr
