'Obama wants to make deal on Korea FTA's ratification'

'Obama wants to make deal on Korea FTA's ratification'

The White House said Tuesday U.S. President Barack Obama wants to reach a deal on the

ratification of the pending free-trade deal with South Korea before he flies to Seoul for a summit

of the leaders of 20 major economies, Yonhap News Agency reported.In a statement, White

House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "The president underscored that we hope to use the next

week to make progress toward an agreement," according to Yonhap. "If we can reach a

satisfactory agreement on the key issues for American workers, we will have a deal."Gibbs was

discussing the telephone conversation Obama had with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak

late Monday ahead of his travel to Seoul for the G-20 summit on Nov. 11 and 12.Obama

embarks Friday on a 10-day trip to Asia which will also take him to India, Indonesia and Japan.