Rice pushes for Free Trade Agreement with Columbia

Rice pushes for Free Trade Agreement with Columbia

www.reuters.com

MEDELLIN, Colombia (Reuters) - The United States would break faith with a strong Latin American ally that has rescued itself from failure if the U.S. Congress refuses to approve a free-trade agreement with Colombia, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday.

"I think it would be ... a very bad signal for the people of Colombia -- not to mention the people of the region -- that you do difficult things, you work hard, you bring your country back from the brink and the United States doesn't deliver," Rice told reporters before arriving in Medellin.

She was traveling with a delegation of nine Democratic U.S. legislators whom she hopes to persuade to vote in favor of the trade accord.

While Colombia needs to improve its human rights record, Congress should recognize the progress President Alvaro Uribe has already made toward ending decades of civil conflict and demobilizing paramilitary forces responsible for most of the past abuses, Rice said.

"It's very obvious that just a few years ago I think you could have said that Colombia was in danger of being a failed state. And it's come back from that," she said.

Rice's trip is one of several senior Bush administration officials are leading over the next two months to build support for the Colombia agreement.

Despite the administration's push, the AFL-CIO -- the largest U.S. labor group and a key Democratic party supporter, strongly opposes the free-trade deal.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other senior Democrats said last June that Colombia needed to make much more progress to reduce violence against trade unionists and punish murderers before Congress would vote on the pact.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Just what we need-more free trade with another 3rd world country. Watch the next wave of corporations set up shop there and get their 10 cents per hour slave labor. lol

NAFTA is working awesome already (end sarcasm).

www.reuters.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by DimensionalDetective


I agree.. we need to end ALL free trade, with Latin America, Canada, Asia, Europe, EVERYONE.

First of all the country is called Colombia, not Columbia.

There are no "sweat shops", in fact Colombia has one of the best worker`s rights protection systems in Latin America.

But most importantly, Colombia is the ONLY ally that the U.S. has on South America, most governments are hostile and most remain indiferent to the U.S., Colombia has mantained throughout the years a position of working and cooperating with the U.S.

I say don`t give Colombia free trade and see your only ally turn against you, great move on your own backyard!

plus we get more coke


Mod Note: One Line Post – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 7-4-2008 by 12m8keall2c]

She just want to get coca cheaper so she can make crack cheaper to sell in the hood.. The Dumb *snip* is helping destroy every last ounce of America .




Mod Note: Profanity/Circumvention Of Censors – Please Review This Link.


[edit on 7-4-2008 by 12m8keall2c]

reply to post by DimensionalDetective


Well bush is coming on at 11:30 am EST from the rose room at the White House to speak on the Free trade agreement with Columbia... Lets see how this all finalizes.

Is usa the only country with a free trade with columbia, lol.

You guys know what i mean.

NAU is about to lose the "N".

So, maybe North American Union is trying to spread it's wing a bit and go for the whole american continent.

I'm just saying that we ought to open both eyes wide when we hear something about an Economic-Giant proposing "free trade area" with a country which is a lot lower on economic standards then the first one.


Peace

PS.: this is for elevatedone:
Is it clearer now? Do I get my 20 (oh god) points back?
Is it completely necessary to spit every-little words out to get the message across?
I'm sorry but "Hopefully you take this in the tone intended, as a reminder to make an effort to ensure our content is easy to read" and not full of the same ol' same ol'.


[edit on 7-4-2008 by Sator]

[edit on 7-4-2008 by Sator]