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Germany's Merkel rejects economy minister's claims on TTIP

Xinhua, August 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected on Monday the statements of German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel that the negotiations between the European Union (EU) and the United States over a free trade deal had de facto failed.

"The negotiations are still not over," said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert in Berlin on Merkel's behalf.

It was right to continue negotiating, said Merkel's spokesman, adding that although the EU and U.S. positions are partly different, decisive compromises were often only achieved in the last round of talks.

"The negotiations with the U.S. have de facto failed, because we as Europeans, of course, should not subject ourselves to American demands," Gabriel said in an interview with German ZDF television on Weekend.

He has noted that the two sides could not agree on a single chapter of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) being discussed.

TTIP comprises of three main blocks, market access for EU and U.S. companies, cooperation on regulatory issues and global rules of trade such as sustainable development or competition policy.

Since July 2013, when the EU and the United States started negotiations on the free trade deal, 14 rounds of talks have been held. Both sides have sought to conclude the negotiations by the end of this year. Enditem