US and Oman to sign free trade agreement

After seven months of negotiations, the United States and Oman reached a free trade agreement. The US-Oman free trade agreement, which envisages removal of tariffs on industrial goods and consumer products, will be signed within the next 90 days. As part of the agreement, Oman agreed not to enforce Arab boycott against Israel. US trade representative Rob Portman has said that the agreement lies within the scope of President George W. Bush’s call to create a US-Middle East free trade area by 2013