The US Trade Representative And The Columbia Representative Met Again On FTA.

Ben (2011) March 17th

Republican congressmen asked USTR to set a clearer time frame for long-term stagnation agreements.

When the Obama administration hinted that it was ready to start the FTA operation procedure in the US South Korea, officials said that more preparations needed for FTA in Columbia and Panama could be sent to the Congress for discussion.

House Republican leaders and FTA supporters said the 3 FTA must progress before July 1st of this year.

Because it is the European Union and South Korea's FTA and Canada.

Ms. Sapiro said that the Obama administration has learned from many congressmen about the urgent need to complete the signing of FTA with Columbia. The 3 main concerns include protecting the rights of workers identified by the international community, avoiding violence against labour leaders and prosecuting the perpetrators of violence.

According to Ms. Sapiro, the ruling team of Columbia's president Juan Manuel Santos has taken measures to strengthen it, but Columbia still needs more to be done before it can freely exercise the labour rights recognized by the international community.

FTA has been strongly opposed to the Columbia labor union, the main pillar of the Democratic Party. However, proponents of the American Labor Union have improved on the controversial labour issue and FTA's approval will consolidate these achievements.

Jim McDermott, a senior member of the panel on trade of the revenue and expenditure Committee, complained that Republican members had obstructed the US and South Korea FTA because they were addicted to signing FTA with Columbia.

Other trade issues should be further promoted before Columbia disputes the specific improvement of its labor rights, such as the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA), the universal preferential tariff (GSP) and trade adjustment assistance (TAA), which are offered unilaterally in Columbia and Ecuador, which expired in February 12th this year.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the house trade work group, Mike Michaud and 5 other Democratic members, wrote to President Barack Obama in March 17th, describing in detail that the members agreed that Columbia should meet the standards to sign FTA.

The 3 criteria that Columbia should meet are: ending violence against trade union members and other human rights defenders, strengthening investigation and prosecution and breaking the culture of impunity, and strengthening basic labour rights.

In addition, 44 Republican senators in March 14th this year vowed to obstruct the nomination of President Barack Obama to nominate commerce ministers and other trade related officials until the Obama administration put the shelved Columbia and Panama FTA to Congress and promised to sign the legislation into effect.

Also in March 17th this year, the American Labor Federation and Richard Trumka, chairman of the industrial labor organization (ALF-CIO), expressed opposition to FTA with South Korea and Columbia.