• Submitted by: manso
• International
• 11 / 12 / 2010

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11/11/2010. The presidents of Spain and the U.S.A. Jose Luis Zapatero and Barack Obama, and India's Primer Minister Mahmohan Sing arrived in Seoul on Wednesay to attend the G-20 Summit that opens Thursday.

On the sideline of the meeting, Obama will pitch for on a free trade pact with South Korea, opposed by many sectors in Seoul.

The U.S. president was to meet with President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday to discuss the trade agreement, and officials from both countries were intensely negotiating behind closed doors until the last minute.

The United States is pressing for greater openings in the auto and beef industries, especially the latter.

Opposition parties announced they would unite forces to block ratification of the free trade agreement, signed in 2007 by the previous adminsitration.

At the G-20 summit, Obama will tout White House proposals to confront the global economic crisis, including injecting $600 million into the economy with Treasury bond sales.

Source: PL