Washington: US and Japanese negotiators have made "substantial progress" toward a deal on a major Pacific free-trade pact but President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are not expected to announce a final accord during Abe`s Washington visit next week, the White House said on Friday.
"We`re not there yet," said Caroline Atkinson, Obama`s deputy national security adviser, all but dashing hopes for a breakthrough agreement that would be the signature achievement when Obama hosts Abe at the White House on Tuesday.
A deal between Japan and the United States is vital to a long-delayed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership pact, as their economies account for 80 percent of the group. Obama also sees the TPP, which would cover a third of world trade, as an important counterweight to China`s growing clout in the region.
Despite intense, high-level negotiations in Tokyo this week, Atkinson said "more work is needed," citing the thorny issues of autos and agriculture.
"We have made substantial progress," she told reporters in a conference call previewing Abe`s visit. "We expect the leaders ... to have the opportunity to discuss what should be the next steps together. But we do not expect any announcement of a final deal."
At the same time, White House officials welcomed momentum on Capitol Hill for "fast-track" legislation to speed such trade deals through Congress, despite resistance from some of Obama`s fellow Democrats who worry that trade accords hurt U.S. jobs.
U.S. officials also offered brighter prospects for announcements planned on Monday by the two countries` defence and foreign ministers unveiling of the first update of U.S.-Japan defence cooperation guidelines since 1997.
Evan Medeiros, Obama`s top Asia adviser, said the revised rules would "significantly expand" Japan`s role in the alliance between Washington and Tokyo and provide the "mechanism for Japan to provide a wider range of support to U.S. forces."Constrained by its pacifist constitution, Japan was for decades criticized in the United States for free-riding on U.S. military spending.
But Abe plans to send the message that Japan is ready to shoulder more of the burden. His cabinet last July adopted a resolution reinterpreting the constitution to allow Japan`s armed forces to provide military aid to the United States and other friendly countries under attack.
Abe is also looking for fresh U.S. assurances that America will come to Japan`s defence in any clash with China such as over disputed islets in the East China Sea.
When Abe becomes the first Japanese leader to address a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, his words will be closely scrutinized for what, if anything, he says about Japan`s wartime past, still a sensitive issue for Asian neighbours nearly 70 years after the end of World War Two.
White House officials responded cautiously to reporters` questions on whether the administration had made any suggestions on how Abe should handle the matter during his U.S. visit.
Senior Obama aide Ben Rhodes said the administration has in the past encouraged Abe "to constructively address historical issues, consistent with Japan`s past statements on these issues" to foster cooperation and avoid tensions in the region.
Abe`s speech coincides with pressure from critics to erase concerns that he wants to whitewash Japan`s wartime past. A Japanese official said that during his visit Abe would reaffirm Tokyo`s commitment to peace and to past government expressions of remorse and apology over the war.
