Bush, Uribe Urge U.S. Congress to Approve Free-Trade Agreement
President George W. Bush and Colombian president Alvaro Uribe urged the U.S. Congress to approve a free-trade accord that was signed two years ago, and said they hope the next U.S. president will take up the matter.
“It’s in our economic interest that we have free trade,” Bush said after meeting with Uribe. “Yet we can’t get a vote out of Congress,” the Republican president said, adding, “I’ve been asking the Democratic leadership in Congress for a vote, and they’ve consistently blocked a vote.”
The free-trade deal has been a top priority for both leaders; Democrats blocked it in April, saying they wanted to postpone action until Colombia reduced violence against labor organizers and Bush agreed to sign a measure expanding aid to workers who lost their jobs because of competition from imports no teletrak payday loans.
Colombian officials and Republican lawmakers have said that a free-trade agreement between the two countries won’t be approved at least until after the November elections in the U.S. For now, they are pushing to extend duty-free U.S. entry for goods from Andean nations.
“The free trade agreement is one the main aspects of our bilateral relationship,” Uribe said. “It is very important not only from the political standpoint, but also from the economic standpoint.”
Filed under: business by Guru