The President, who is in Sweden on the last leg of his three-nation European tour, explained on Sunday, July 12 (European time) what he had done to realize the successful conclusion of the Korea-EU (European Union) free trade agreement (FTA), saying that Korea and the EU will likely announce the conclusion of their negotiations for a FTA during his visit to Sweden.

Speaking at a press conference at a Stockholm hotel, President Lee said he had directly persuaded the leaders of Poland and Italy to approve the proposed deal, because Poland and Italy had shown unfavorable attitudes towards the FTA deal.

Regarding his meeting with Polish leader Lech Kaczynski on July 8, Lee said that the Polish leader at first was very hesitant about showing support for the FTA but after the talks, Poland changed its stance and said it would support the trade deal.

As for Italy, President Lee held a summit with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on July 10 and said it does not make sense that one of the strongest leaders of Europe like Berlusconi himself opposes the deal because he is afraid that the proposed FTA deal would harm the small-sized auto companies in Italy.

President Lee said that his persuasion worked, as it is the global trend not to get too tangled up with protectionism.

He added that for successful diplomacy, two things are needed: one is a sincere attitude and another is showing admiration.

Lee is scheduled to wrap up his three-day visit in Sweden and return home on July 15 (Korea time).