Proposed U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement

Publication Date: April 2005

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Trade

Type:

Abstract:

U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick signed the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on September 14, 2004. Negotiations with Bahrain, a close U.S. partner in the Persian Gulf, were concluded on May 27, 2004. Under the agreement, all bilateral trade in consumer and industrial goods will be duty free and 98% of U.S. agricultural exports will be duty free. The proposed FTA would also support economic reform, both within Bahrain, and throughout the Middle East. For an agreement to take effect, Congress would need to pass implementing legislation. This report will be updated as events warrant.