QUITO, March 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Ecuador expects to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States by the end of June, the country's Trade Minister Ivonne Baki said Friday.

    Baki made the remarks at a press conference at the Ecuadorian embassy in Washington, where she was talking with US officials on the issue.

    She said the negotiations over the FTA, which also involve Colombia and Peru, will be finalized in Quito between May and June,when the agreements between the three Andean countries and the United States are expected to be signed. But before that, still another round of talks will be held in Peru on April 18-22.

    The United States may agree to include for the first time in anFTA of this type issues on biodiversity and technology transfer, the minister said, touting the agreement as the best way for Ecuador to fight poverty, drug-trafficking and illegal immigration.

    The three Andean countries and the United States have had serious differences on issues such as agriculture, patents and pharmaceutical-product protection, investment and services.

    Ecuador, Colombia and Peru decided to hold joint negotiations on FTA with the United States in a bid to save logistic costs and time.

    Should the FTA negotiations, which started in May 2004, succeed,the agreements would come into effect in 2006. Enditem