In a Miami Herald op-ed, Colombia's Vice President Francisco Santos underlines the importance of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the U.S., which is currently pending approval in Congress.
Since President Alvaro Uribe took office in Colombia five years ago, the country has made progress in boosting security. AS/COA President and CEO Susan Segal writes that the time has come for U.S. Congress to approve a bilateral trade agreement as the "single most effective tool to help bring economic and political security to Colombia."
In a Miami Herald editorial, retired U.S. General Barry R. McCaffrey explains that Colombia's robust economy and drastically improved security situation warrant approval of a U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement—a pact currently stalled in the U.S. Congress.
While a U.S.-Peru bilateral agreement moved forward in Congress, the Council of the Americas brought together Ambassador John Veroneau of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Colombia's Minister of Trade Luis Guillermo Plata. Speakers emphasized the need for congressional approval of a trade deal with Colombia, a key U.S. ally in the hemisphere.
On October 28, over 15 million Colombians cast ballots to elect 32 governors and 1,098 mayors and local council members. In a key election, Samuel Moreno of the Polo Democrática Alternativo won the Bogotá mayorship.
Addressing AS/COA members on October 22, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns discussed White House policy toward Latin America, particularly Bogotá. "The U.S. finds itself at a crucial crossroads in our relations with Colombia," said Burns, emphasizing the need for trade deals with that country, Peru, and Panama.
COA's Director of Government Relations Brian Wanko writes that Congress has the opportunity to make a lasting impact on Latin America's prosperity and development by supporting free-trade agreements with Panama, Peru, and Colombia.
