WASHINGTON, Safar 19, 1436, December 11, 2014, SPA -- US President Barack Obama expressed optimism Thursday on a proposed Pacific free-trade agreement, saying there was a better than 50 percent chance U.S. negotiators can bring home a strong deal. The U.S. president also said he was confident his administration could make a “strong case” in Congress to ratify a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement covering almost 40 percent of the global economy. “I’m much more optimistic about us being able to close out an agreement with our TPP partners than I was last year,” Obama said at a meeting of the President’s Export Council. “It doesn’t mean it’s a done deal, but I think the odds of us being able to get a strong agreement are significantly higher than 50-50.” --SPA 11:32 LOCAL TIME 08:32 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w