A disagreement over human rights and democracy was behind the suspension earlier this month of trade talks between the Gulf Co-operation Council and the European Union, an Omani official said on Sunday.

'It is suspended because we reached a roadblock on political issues,' Abdulmalik Al-Hinai, undersecretary at Oman's ministry of national economy, told Reuters in an interview.

'The European side is trying to impose political issues on human rights and democracy that overstep and do not consider local regulations,' he noted.

Abdul-Rahman al-Attiyah, the secretary-general of the loose political and economic alliance representing six oil-producing countries, said last week talks with the EU had been suspended, without giving reasons for the decision.

Apart from Kuwait, which has an elected legislature that has a history of challenging the government, other oil-exporting Gulf Arab monarchies are inching slowly towards a measure of popular representation.

Oman has a consultative council - an elected advisory institution that can review legislation.

The president of the European Parliament said earlier this month GCC countries should pursue democratic reform without feeling the must follow models not in line with their tradition.

Aimed at boosting trade and investment between the two blocs, a Gulf-EU free trade pact would make it easier for Gulf states to export products, such as petrochemicals, to Europe, which imposes taxes on some imports from the region.

Gulf officials met a delegation from France, current president of the European Union, in Muscat last month and came to an agreement on the text of the clause, but the European Commission did not accept it, Hinai said.

'They want to include an article saying that, in case that a member of the agreement violates principles of human rights and democracy, the other side can take necessary actions as per international law.

'We want to also include that domestic laws and regulations should not be weakened by this agreement because it is a matter of sovereignty of our nations. We all respect human rights but it should be imposed on us by the view of others.'

The pact between the EU and the GCC, comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab emirates, has been under discussion for nearly two decades.

'We have concluded the agreement with the exception of that political point,' Hinai said.

The Gulf, which signed a free trade agreement with Singapore this month, was discussing a possible slowdown in free trade talks with foreign partners, but this would not affect discussions with countries including Japan, South Korea, China, India and Pakistan, he added.

A ministerial meeting between the GCC and EU would take place as scheduled in Muscat in April.-Reuters