SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea and the European Union have completed two years of negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA), Seoul's presidential office said Monday at a summit in Stockholm.

It said visiting President Lee Myung-Bak and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, made the declaration at a summit in Stockholm earlier in the day.

"The two leaders welcomed the final agreement on the Korea-EU FTA and expressed hope it will quickly be initialled," the Seoul presidential office said in a statement from the Swedish capital.

There was no immediate confirmation that negotiations have been completed. The two leaders were to hold a press conference later in the day.

EU member states gave broad backing Friday to the FTA but did not endorse it, diplomats in Brussels said.

"There was broad support, yes," an EU diplomat said, after a meeting of experts from the 27 member nations examined a final proposal on the pact from the European Commission.

"But some member states asked for more time," he said.

The two sides in March reached a deal on most points but follow-up talks have failed to settle two outstanding issues -- duty drawback and rules of origin.

South Korea wants permission to refund import tariffs for manufacturers who use imported materials to make products for export. Brussels says this would give Korean firms an unfair advantage.

On rules of origin, South Korea wants items made at a Seoul-funded industrial complex in North Korea to be treated as South Korean goods.

Also, since South Korean manufacturers import many parts from China and elsewhere, the two sides are trying to agree what percentage of a finished item must be made in South Korea.

The European bloc was South Korea's second-largest trading partner last year after China, with two-way trade worth more than 90 billion dollars.

The EU is the largest foreign investor in South Korea, with outstanding investment reaching 43.40 billion dollars at the end of 2007.

A deal with Europe would be a relief for Seoul after its free trade pact with the United States faltered. That agreement was signed in 2007 but needs ratification by the legislatures of both countries.

The Obama administration has indicated it wants a partial renegotiation, something Seoul publicly opposes.