Washington, Rajab 01, 1437, April 08, 2016, SPA -- US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter called Friday for Congress to approve the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, as he prepares to leave on a two-week trip to Asia and the Middle East, according to dpa. Carter told the Council on Foreign Relations that the deal "is as strategically important to the [US Asia] rebalance as an aircraft carrier," and said it was vital to prevent lop-sided, coercively negotiated regional trade agreements. Carter leaves Saturday on a two-week trip, beginning in India and the Philippines, designed to solidify the US rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region. --SPA 00:36 LOCAL TIME 21:36 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w