South Korea and the European Union have started what they call their final round of talks in efforts to agree on a trade liberalization deal. The deal still faces serious opposition from South Korean farmers, and may require fine tuning on opening up the Korean auto market.
韩国和欧盟开始就自由贸易协议达成一致举行他们所谓的最后一轮谈判。这项协议仍然遇到韩国农民的强烈反对，而且可能在开放韩国汽车市场问题上也需要做很多工作。
South Korean Chief Trade Negotiator Lee Hye-min says he and his European Union counterpart Ignacio Garcia Bercero hope to conclude negotiations on a free trade deal this week.
韩国首席贸易谈判代表李惠民表示，他跟欧盟首席贸易谈判代表伯塞罗都希望这个星期能结束有关自由贸易协议的谈判。
"As a result of these efforts, now we are about to finishing our long journey ... Our deal has far reached many fields for the whole economy. Both Korean and European manufactures will benefit," he said.
李惠民说：“由于这些努力，我们现在即将结束我们的漫长旅途。我们的协议涉及到整个经济的许多领域。韩国和欧盟的制造业都会受益。”
The two sides have held seven previous rounds of talks that began nearly two years ago. Signing and implementing a deal would remove tariffs and make it much easier to buy and sell goods and services to each other. By at least one estimate the deal stands to add about $11 billion to South Korea's economy.
韩国跟欧盟两年前开始举行自由贸易协议谈判，到现在为止已经 举行了七轮谈判。签署并实施贸易协议就会取消关税，使得双方之间的商品和劳务进出口更加便利。至少有一项估计认为，这项自由贸易协议将使韩国经济增加大约110亿美元。
Opening the automotive and agricultural markets have been sticking points in previous sessions. Both sides view those markets as sensitive and politically difficult to stop protecting.
开放汽车市场和农业市场一直成为以往几轮谈判的症结所在。韩国和欧盟都认为上述两个市场非常敏感，要想停止保护，从政治角度很难做到。
South Korean farmers held protests in Seoul to condemn the deal, shouting that the FTA negotiations are killing Korean farmers. Agriculture, especially rice farming, is seen in South Korea as a matter of both food security and cultural heritage. Deals to allow foreign agriculture products in to the country have sparked emotional and occasionally violent demonstrations in the past.
韩国农民在首尔举行抗议，谴责自由贸易协议，并大声说，自由贸易协议谈判正在毁灭韩国农民。农业，特别是耕种稻米，在韩国被看作是食品安全和传统文化的问题。有关允许外国农产品进入韩国的协议曾经在这个国家引发了情绪激昂的抗议。有时甚至发生暴力示威。
If this week's negotiations are successful, South Korean officials say they hope to publicly declare the deal at next month's summit of advanced industrial nations in London.
韩国官员表示，假如这个星期的谈判取得成功，他们准备下个月在伦敦举行的发达工业国家首脑会议上宣布这项协议。
South Korea signed a free trade deal with the United States in June of 2007. But serious doubts remain as to whether it will be ratified. Left-leaning South Korean politicians have used sit-ins and civil disobedience to block the National Assembly in Seoul from advancing the vote process on the deal.
韩国和美国在2007年6月签署了自由贸易协议。不过，这项协议是否会得到批准还值得怀疑。韩国左翼政界人士使用静坐和反抗等方式阻止国会推动这一协议的表决程序。
In the United States, senior Democratic party leaders have expressed reservations about the deal's terms on automobile trade. Earlier this month, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in a confirmation he thought the U.S.-South Korea deal "just is not fair."
在美国，资深民主党领导人对美韩自由贸易协议中有关汽车贸易的条款持保留态度。这个月早些时候，美国贸易代表柯克在确认他提名的听证会上表示，他认为美韩自由贸易协议“根本就是不公平的”。 |