Bush asks Congress act fast on Colombia trade deal
31 Mar 2008 22:06:01 GMT Source: Reuters
(Adds White House spokesman comment in paragraph 10-11) By Doug Palmer WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush urged U.S. lawmakers to pass a controversial free trade pact with Colombia "as soon as possible," but did not say when he would submit the agreement to Congress. "Congress needs to act urgently to approve the Colombian Free Trade Agreement," Bush said, as he was leaving Washington on Monday for summit with NATO leaders. He also asked Congress to pass other legislation to modernize the Federal Housing Administration and to provide U.S. intelligence experts with the "tools they need to monitor terrorist communications." "These are all vital priorities, and I ask members of both parties to get these important pieces of legislation to my desk as soon as possible," Bush said. Many Democrats, including presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, oppose the Colombia free trade agreement because they say the government still has not done enough to stop murders of trade unionists and jail their killers. "President Bush just doesn't get it. Our so-called 'courageous ally in South America' is home to the worst violence against union members in the entire world," Rep. Phil Hare, an Illinois Democrat, said in a statement. "Thirty-nine trade unionists were murdered in 2007, and another 10 to date in 2008. Of the more than 2,500 murders of trade unionists since 1986, only 80 cases -- around 3 percent -- have resulted in convictions." The Bush administration contends that Colombia has made significant progress in reducing violence over the past five years and has warned that rejecting the trade pact would hurt a strong U.S. ally in a volatile region of Latin America. This month, U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said she expected Bush to submit the Colombia free trade agreement to Congress shortly after lawmakers returned this week from a break. However, Bush administration officials said they still hoped to work out an agreement with Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and other Democrats to send the trade deal to Congress without causing an uproar. "We continue to have conversations with key members on the process. We'd like to get this done in amicable way," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto. "We will, of course, at a certain point in time, send up the legislation." Pelosi has said Bush should not send the Colombia pact to Congress legislation has been passed to expand federal retraining and unemployment benefits for workers who have lost their jobs because of trade. The White House has threatened to veto a House bill to extend the Trade Adjustment Assistance program to service industry and public sector employees. But Bush has said he remains ready to work with Congress on an expanded program. (Editing by Chris Wilson)
Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe delivers a speech during a meeting in San Jose del Guaviare, some 400 km ( 249 miles) south of Bogota, March 29, 2008. Colombia said on Saturday ...
