India, AEM Meeting Postponed

New Delhi: The 39th Asean Economic Ministers (AEM) meeting scheduled on August 26 to discuss the finalizing of the free trade agreement (FTA) between the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations and India has been postponed. Though no reason was advanced for the postponement of the AEM, sources here indicated that the inability of the Union Commerce & Industry Minister Mr Kamal Nath to take part in the proceedings on the 6th Asean-India trade ministers meet on August 26 might be one of the reasons why Asean has called off the AEM. Since for technical reasons Asean could not go ahead with final talks for the FTA in the absence of India''s Trade Minister, the sources said that the officials will meet to advance the negotiations further so that a mutually convenient date could be worked out to convene a meeting of the trade ministers later to make a final call on the pending issues which have held up the finalisation of an Asean-India FTA on goods.