WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama issued a congratulatory message on Monday on the conclusion of the much-discussed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) negotiations in Atlanta.

The TPPA negotiations, which were first launched in 2005, involved Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the US and Vietnam.

According to trade experts, the TPP will become a free trade region of 800 million people, accounting for 30 per cent of global trade and about 40 per cent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP).

Obama, who will relinquish office next year on completion of his second term, has espoused the TPPA cause aggressively, particularly, in his second term.

According to a statement released by the White House, the President said that "I've spent every day of my presidency fighting to grow our economy and strengthen our middle class.

"That means making sure our workers have a fair shot to get ahead here at home, and a fair chance to compete around the world".

He emphasised that trade, should be governed by a "unifying principle" of creating a level-playing field for American workers and businesses "so (that) we can export more products stamped Made in America all over the world that support higher-paying American jobs here at home".

According to US sources, this partnership will level the playing field for farmers, ranchers and manufacturers by eliminating more than 18,000 taxes that various countries put on US products. It includes the strongest commitments on labour and the environment of any trade agreement in history, and those commitments are enforceable, unlike in past agreements.

Allaying the doubts of his skeptics, the president said that once negotiators finalised the text of this partnership, "Congress and the American people would have months to read every word before I sign it".

The interlocutors from the partner nations have successfully concluded the Atlanta negotiations "in the spirit and substance", as one US diplomat told Bernama on the condition of anonymity.

Indeed, the negotiations were supposed to have been completed on Sunday but were carried on to Monday to "tie up some small loose ends".

Last Friday in New York, Daniel Russel, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific, confirmed to Bernama that he would be visiting Kuala Lumpur in the coming days.

With the Atlanta talks wrapped up, Russel will also discuss the TPPA issue with the Malaysian interlocutors, besides other topical bilateral questions.

Russel, who also participated in last week's talks between Secretary John Kerry and Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, will be interested in the conclusive finalisation of the TPPA deal.

Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamad, who represented Malaysia at the TPPA negotiations, said on Monday that whether or not Malaysia becomes a Party to the TPPA will be a collective decision.

He said that once the complete and official text of the agreement is prepared, it will be in the public domain and presented to Parliament for debate.

"We will also hold full consultations with interested parties and the public," he said in a statement. -- Bernama