The United States and Switzerland hope to overcome disagreements on agriculture and sign a free-trade agreement, officials from both countries said Thursday. U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman and Swiss economic affairs minister Joseph Deiss made the pledge to increase commerce after signing an accord to set up a trade and investment cooperation forum. The agreement establishes a dialogue to deal with the more thorny disputes between the two countries, as well as to explore ways to boost U.S.-Swiss goods commerce, which totaled $23.7 billion last year. Both officials said the accord would provide the “building blocks” for an eventual free-trade agreement. However, the men acknowledged that agriculture remains a stumbling block in negotiations, because the Swiss agricultural industry is highly protected.
