INTERVIEW-Politics may split Andean-EU trade talks - Colombia
19 Oct 2007 18:34:30 GMT Source: Reuters
By William Schomberg BRUSSELS, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Free trade talks between Andean countries and the European Union may have to be split into fast and slow streams given the ideological divide between the South American nations, Colombia's trade minister said on Friday. The EU and the Community of Andean Nations (CAN) -- currently Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia -- proposed the idea of a trade deal in 2004. But talks were only formally launched in June, held up lastly by Bolivia's leftist leader Evo Morales taking months to decide to take part. Ecuador has also elected a left-wing president and Venezuela, under its anti-U.S. leader Hugo Chavez, is expected to apply to rejoin the Andean group in November. Unlike their neighbours, Colombia and Peru are active supporters of freer international trade. Colombian Trade Minister Luis Guillermo Plata told Reuters that for now, the four countries were sticking together. "Of course it would be easier if negotiations were country by country but the EU has asked to negotiate as a bloc," he said after meeting EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. "We have reached the starting line together and we will make evey effort to remain together, bearing in mind we have different ideologies. "Let's see in (for example) six months where we are and see if we can make progress. And if we can't, how can we organise ourselves so we can make progress, so some can move faster than others perhaps, to find some formula to do that?" he said. "We will cross that bridge when we get there." The Andean countries export $10 billion a year of goods to the EU, their number two trade partner after the United States. The EU, the world' single biggest market, traditionally favours region-to-region trade deals. The next round of EU-Andean negotiations are due in Brussels in December. "UNFAIR" U.S. OPPOSITION TO DEAL The United States also once hoped to negotiate a trade deal with the Andean region but in the end opted for a bilateral approach and has clinched agreements with Peru and Colombia. The Peru deal could get final approval in the U.S. Congress this year. But Colombia's has been left in limbo after the now-majority Democrats raised concerns about human rights abuses in the country, especially the murder of trade union activists. Plata said Colombia was working hard to show its progress on such abuses. He cited official figures showing the number of union activists and union-affiliated teachers murdered in Colombia fell from 196 in 2002 to 20 so far in 2007. "I am not saying 20 is great but it is a big fall from 196," Plata said. "The question is, when is it good enough? Zero?" "This effort did not begin six months ago when the Democrats said it was important, it began five years ago ... because it is the right thing for a country to do," he added. "It seems unfair to us that they say they won't sign the deal for this reason." Approving the free trade deal would help Colombia fight poverty and thus tackle the country's drug trade, a priority of the United States in the region, Plata said. "This should not be a conflict (with the U.S. presidential campaign). They need to think beyond the elections, they need to see the implications that this has in the long term for the United States and for the hemisphere."
