ID :
39331
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 17:08
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/39331
The shortlink copeid
Parties reach agreement on voting on key bills
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's rival parties struck an 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.
"I hope parties will handle pending bills through dialogue and compromise in the
future, too," National Assembly speaker Kim Hyong-o told reporters.
The current session of parliament is scheduled to end on Wednesday this week, but
the parties agreed to hold an extraordinary session from Thursday to vote on some
bills, as well as another extra session next month.
According to party officials, partisan negotiators agreed to vote on the free
trade accord as soon as possible after U.S. President-elect Barack Obama takes
office on January 20. They also agreed to vote on key bills regarding bank
ownership and other reform measures during next month's extraordinary session.
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 as the house speaker agreed to postpone a vote on a U.S.
free-trade deal.
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.
Rival parties, however, failed to agree on when and how to handle media-related
bills, according to party officials.
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
(END)
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.
"I hope parties will handle pending bills through dialogue and compromise in the
future, too," National Assembly speaker Kim Hyong-o told reporters.
The current session of parliament is scheduled to end on Wednesday this week, but
the parties agreed to hold an extraordinary session from Thursday to vote on some
bills, as well as another extra session next month.
According to party officials, partisan negotiators agreed to vote on the free
trade accord as soon as possible after U.S. President-elect Barack Obama takes
office on January 20. They also agreed to vote on key bills regarding bank
ownership and other reform measures during next month's extraordinary session.
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 as the house speaker agreed to postpone a vote on a U.S.
free-trade deal.
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.
Rival parties, however, failed to agree on when and how to handle media-related
bills, according to party officials.
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
(END)
