Assistant US Trade Representative for Southeast Asia Barbara Weisel (left) and Thailand’s Chief Negotiator for the Thailand-US free trade negotiation Nitya Pibulsonggram at a news conference at a hotel in Bangkok yesterday.

BANGKOK/WASHINGTON: The US could abandon free trade talks with Thailand unless Bangkok agrees to redouble efforts to reach an agreement in the next few months, a US trade negotiator said yesterday.

“We have to evaluate whether or not we think the will is there on both sides,” Assistant US Trade Representative Barbara Weisel told US reporters by phone after a sixth round of talks in Thailand this week. “As you know, we’re considering launching additional FTAs (free trade agreements) ... There’s only so many of those that we want ongoing at the same time.”

US and Thai negotiators made some progress in talks, but are still far from reaching an agreement after 18 months of on-and-off negotiations, Weisel said.

“We’ve told the Thais we’d like to conclude by spring,” Weisel said. “Our position is if both sides decided they wanted to redouble their efforts, they could conclude the agreement in the time that’s left.”

The five-day negotiating session in the northern city of Chiang Mai was briefly disrupted on Tuesday by thousands of protesters who demanded a halt to talks they said would benefit a few business groups at the expense of the poor.