Uribe asks US not to punish Colombia

The U.S. and congress in particular are making a big mistake by not allowing Colombia access to the FTA. What message are we sending to Colombia and the Colombian people? Where will Colombia go if the FTA is denied? Will Colombia be forced to join others in their hatred of the U.S. Many countries around the world have lost respect for the U.S. and our people.

Do we want China, Russia and others to establish themselves in South America. What's next Central America? We need to take care of our neighbors. I have only spent a short time in Colombia, but have come to love the Colombian people. They are hard working and like us want to maintain a democratic government.

Does the U.S. congress want to strengthen the FARC's position? IF so deny the FTA and financial aid to Colombia.

The U.S. dollar, once backed by a gold standard, has also lost respect as we currently see here in Colombia and other parts of the world. When and where does it end?

Just my opinion!

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President Alvaro Uribe has urged the US not to punish Colombia by denying it a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) or reducing military aid because of a deepening political scandal that is engulfing his government.

The so-called "para-politics" scandal, in which members of Mr Uribe's government are accused of co-operating with rightwing militia groups, is undermining attempts to secure a FTA, which Democrats now dominating the US Congress are threatening to block over human rights concerns.

"It would be incomprehensible if Colombia were to be treated like a pariah, and denied a FTA with the US," said Mr Uribe in an interview with the Financial Times, insisting that Colombia has been a "loyal ally" of the US and that failure to secure a FTA would be "very serious".

A recent deal between the Bush administration and Congress to move ahead with bilateral trade deals with Peru and Panama, while leaving Colombia on hold, has angered Mr Uribe.
He argues that the increasingly serious allegations against members of his government – most recently implicating the vice-president and defence minister, and already leading to the resignation of the foreign minister earlier this year, and the arrest of 13 pro-government members of Congress – are the result of restoring peace to Colombia.

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"The vast majority of what is being denounced today happened before my government, and it is my government that is clearing all this up," said Mr Uribe, who is offering reduced jail sentences for crimes in return for revealing the truth of who else was involved. It is feared that as much as a third of Congress – all pro-government members – could be involved.
"The world should celebrate what is happening in Colombia," he said, explaining that since he was first elected in 2002 he had returned law and order to Colombia after over four decades of violence and instability. "Colombia has made a great sacrifice in eradicating drugs and defeating terrorism," he said.
"The Colombian state has been reborn," he said, since the demobilisation of most rightwing paramilitaries in 2005 and the retreat of leftwing guerrilla forces.

He is due to visit the US again in June after a previous visit earlier this month to lobby for a FTA, as well as to secure the renewal of the $700m in mostly military aid that Colombia receives each year. Congress wants to cut the proportion of aid allocated to military spending, while increasing economic assistance.

Colombia has received more than $5bn over the last seven years, making it the largest recipient of US aid outside the Middle East.

Mr Uribe also demanded greater support from the rest of the world to fight drugs. "There is no country in the world that has battled against drugs as much as Colombia," he said, urging other countries to co-operate more, particularly those in Europe, where he says demand is rising fastest.
As well as the threat posed by a failure to secure a FTA with the US, Mr Uribe admitted that the strength of Colombia's currency was also damaging trade, after the peso appreciated by 30 per cent against the dollar in the last year, prompting the introduction of capital controls on May 6. "We need a competitive exchange rate. We are very worried by the appreciation of the peso – it could destroy jobs in Colombia," he said.

But his most immediate concern will be to mend the reputation of his government abroad, among US Democrats in particular – at home Mr Uribe maintains approval ratings of around 75 per cent.
So far Mr Uribe himself has remained free of any serious accusations, although many wonder how far the scandal could reach. "I have spent 30 years fighting crime in Colombia. I have suffered a great many attempts on my life for not giving in to criminal groups in Colombia… The only path of my security policy has been the institutional path," he said.

Copyright The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18922475/

By elk on May 29, 2007, 12:10 in Friendly Talkzone.

treedoc says on May 29, 2007, 12:20:

re: FTA Regardless of the dubious merits of the CAFTA or FTA, it does make enormous sense to cooperate and aid Colombia any way that we can. Uribe for all his sins has in fact been beneficial to Colombia. Things in general and especially investment in instead of out of Colombia have improved. But the only way we can ever really hope to win back the confidence and respect of Latin America and the rest of the world is to rid ourselves once and for all of Bush/Cheney/neo-con agenda. Im suspicious of any and everything that issues from the current political administration even if by some miracle it actually does make sense. Weve got to remove them and then begin to pay for their many sins, in order to reestablish ourselves in the eyes of an angry world.

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cayita says on May 29, 2007, 12:43:

Uribe has it backwards the US has been a strong Alley to Colombia. So what does the US have to buy it's friends?

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toneloc24 says on May 29, 2007, 13:13:

Colombia (the entire country) would be best served staying away from this crock of shit FTA deal. It benefits no one, but US corporations. NO ONE else. Doesn't benefit the average Colombian, nor the average US consumer. It HURTS the Colombian farmer and weakens the US farmer.

We've seen this story all over the Western hemisphere before. Same deal, just dressed up in a 2007 era miniskirt with a halter top holding in some siliconas.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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juancegomez says on May 29, 2007, 13:27:

Rubito The falling exchange rate currently helps those who want to go to Disneyland a lot more than the FTA ever would, I'd say. ;)

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Waterdawg says on May 29, 2007, 14:04:

TLC ? .. " Without " special duty free and reduced tariffs I want to see Colombia compete with China ! Flowers , Coffee and the like ! I get a big kick out of everyone labeling the States as the evil Empire .. lol .. China is already eating our Lunch ( when it comes to trade ) ; At this rate will get our Breakfast & Diner .. I love the leftist crap about protecting Framers . Do you really think the US. is going to dump Potato's and rice on the Colombian Market ......... Sit down and take an " Educated " look at what is at stake ..

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Waterdawg says on May 29, 2007, 14:07:

Yo Guy? .. " And Mexican public health is HUGELY suffering due to the influx of US agricultural products and processed foods. That is well documented."

.. Just where is this " Well Documented " ? ..Mexico has been " Dumping " ( see tomato's ) on the USA. market for years ...

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cayita says on May 29, 2007, 14:15:

Mexico has great wealth as a country. NAFTA has done nothing but strengthen this. The problem is not NAFTA the problem in Mexico is corruption. But then that doesn't fit into the whole blame the US for everything.

Man that crap get's old after a while. We have made a lot of money doing business with the USA. I am not so stupid as to bite the hand that feeds. I see nothing wrong with that what so ever. If TLC was to pass I think the USA with their high cost of labor and high cost of health insurance should be the one worried about TLC not Colombia.

Which is why the Democrats blocked it.

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juancegomez says on May 29, 2007, 15:50:

Another article about the results of NAFTA for Mexico... In Spanish:

Las lecciones de México

Después de 12 años de aplicación del Tratado de Libre Comercio con Estados Unidos, México obtuvo ciertos beneficios y ha padecido graves problemas.

Por Rodrigo París Rojas
Fecha: 03/02/2006 -

http://www.semana.com/wf_InfoArticulo.aspx?idArt=93009

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expatriate says on May 29, 2007, 16:37:

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Waterdawg says on May 29, 2007, 17:23:

Rubito ? So you are blaming the Coke drinking problem on the USA ???? Mexicans are not responsible enough to guide them selves ??? When is Mexico responsible for Mexico ??? .. Please look at all the dumping cases filed " Against " Mexico ... And you know the States is going to dump Potato's on Latin America " HOW " ! Please share that with me .. May I ask where you are living at this time and your age ?? I ask because I am an old Gringo ; Maybe I am out of touch ! lol

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goin_south says on May 29, 2007, 17:28:

N.A.F.T.A. became..... North American Free Travel Agreement, ... somehow, it seems ;)
Hey, open the flood gates for nuestras colombianas!

Voy para del Sur

'what does it mean, when one of you (colombians) tell another: YOU WERE NOT/ARE NOT. 'COLOMBIAN ENOUGH'?? jejeje..a mixture, I think, of stupidity mixed with a false sense of arrogance.. How 'colombian' do you have to be? to be 'colombian enough

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Tinto (Moderator) says on May 29, 2007, 19:12:

Everything you ever wanted to know about U.S. agricultural exports to Colombia

http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/fasworldwide/2007/03-2007/ColombiaOvervie...

http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200610/146249263.pdf

The first is a summary, the second is 27 pages of detail and a market outlook. Bunch of stuff in second report, such as household food expenditure estimates. Two other items: the big supermarket chains have about a 50% market share and Nestle and Nacl de Chocolates import cocoa. The imported cocoa stat is surprising to me...I hope they can re-develop the domestic industry as a licit alternative to coca.

Note: Although the report is recent (March 2007) most of the data sets end at 2005.

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