DOHA (QATAR): Singapore and the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) yesterday inked a landmark free trade agreement (FTA), the first by the grouping.

Leaders of both sides hailed the pact as a commitment to free trade, a move viewed as significant as the worsening global financial crisis threatens to raise the spectre of protectionism.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted the FTA also signals their intention to expand international economic relations.

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