JOC 7/2/07

Apparel groups push for Malaysia trade pact

Two leading apparel industry groups lined up Wednesday in favor of the
U.S.-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement, which is currently being negotiated.

In a joint declaration, both the American Apparel & Footwear Association
and the Malaysian Textile Manufacturers Association urged timely conclusion
to the talks. The two organizations said that such a pact should include
the immediate and reciprocal elimination of all duties.

"AAFA strongly encourages the U.S. and Malaysian negotiators who are
working on this important accord to recognize that it must benefit both
U.S. and Malaysian textile and apparel industries and be sufficiently
flexible to maintain a viable partnership between the two countries," said
AAFA President and Chief Executive Kevin M. Burke.

"The United States FTA is very important to our textile and apparel
industries," said Y.H. Tan, president of MTMA. "We recognize, however, the
need to include mechanisms that will create a dynamic, and not stagnant,
agreement to reflect the industries as they change over the coming years."

The United States runs a large trade deficit in the sector. U.S. textile
and apparel exports to Malaysia totaled $24.5 million through November,
2006, while Malaysian exports to the U.S. totaled $743 million during the
same period.