Jordan, Canada sign free trade agreement

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AMMAN, Aug 27 (Xinhua): Jordan and Canada has inked a preliminary free trade agreement yesterday, the first one Canada signed with the Arab world, the Jordanian official news agency Petra reported.

The agreement is expected to be signed in final form during the awaited visit of the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Jordan, according to Jordanian Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Under the deal, Jordanian commodities exported to the Canadian markets will be exempted of customs duties, while Jordan will reduce customs duties on Canadian commodities in a transitional period of five years, said Muntaser al-Uqla, an official with the ministry.

Another two agreements are expected to be signed in the fields of environment, labour and investments between the two countries, according to the ministry.