Advertisement

Free trade with Colombia is high on Bush’s agenda

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Chris Kraul reports:

That President Bush and President-elect Barack Obama discussed a Colombian free-trade agreement in their first postelection meeting indicates its importance to Bush’s legacy and his concern for a nation that believes it gets little respect for its role as a key U.S. ally. Representatives for Bush and Obama acknowledged that the two men discussed the proposed free-trade deal during their two-hour White House transition session Monday and whether the pact should come up for a vote during the lame-duck congressional session opening early next week. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino denied reports that Bush conditioned his support for a Democratic fiscal stimulus package, including help for the U.S. auto industry, on approval of the trade bill with Colombia. But the fact that the topic came up at all, amid a welter of other pressing economic and geopolitical issues facing the incoming president, reflects the priority Bush attaches to the agreement in the waning weeks of his administration.

Read the rest of ‘Free Trade With Colombia Is High on Bush’s Agenda’ here.

Advertisement

On Wednesday, this editorial revisited the controversial issue of the free-trade agreement between Colombia and the United States.

Click here for more about Colombia, trade and Latin America.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

Advertisement