UAE, US plan next free trade talks end-April

WASHINGTON, Mar 20 (Reuters) Free trade talks between the United Arab Emirates and the United States should resume at the end of April, UAE Economy Minister Sheikha Lubna al-Qassimi and the US Trade Representative's office said on Monday.

''We are targeting end of April, probably, for the next round,'' Sheikha Lubna said, adding that government working groups had held talks as recently as last week.

Both sides have been working on a free trade pact since March 2005 and had originally been scheduled to hold their fifth round of talks last week. The talks were postponed earlier this month, right after a deal for a state-owned Dubai company to manage U.S. port terminals collapsed.

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