UPDATE 4-Deal to move U.S. trade pacts possible soon

* MetLife exec decries political impasse blocking deals

* Kirk says still confident deals will pass soon

* Deal sought on South Korea, Colombia and Panama accords (Adds lawmakers' comments, paragraphs 8-12, 20-21)

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - The Obama administration hopes to announce soon a deal with congressional Republicans to clear the way for votes on three long-delayed free trade agreements, the top U.S. trade official said on Wednesday.

The administration had hoped to win approval of the trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama before the August congressional recess. But a disagreement with Republicans over a worker retraining program called Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) has threatened that.

"We are working so that we can very quickly announce a process on how we will be able to move that forward," U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in a speech at a gathering of insurance companies, banks, express delivery firms and other service sector businesses.

"I am still confident we are going to get these agreements passed, and we're going to get them passed sooner rather than later," Kirk said.

Republicans have objected to a White House plan to include an extension of the TAA program in the implementing legislation for the South Korea pact, and have demanded a separate vote on the legislation. But Democrats fear the program will be killed if not shielded by the South Korea pact.

Kirk said the administration is working with congressional leaders to resolve that issue.

TAA is a nearly 50-year-old retraining and income assistance program to help workers who have lost their jobs due to foreign competition.

Republican Representative Kevin Brady, who chairs a key trade subcommittee in the House of Representatives, called for the administration and Senate leaders to reach a quick agreement that would pave the way for the pacts to be approved.

Despite the short time left before the August recess, Brady said he still thought the pacts could win House and Senate approval by then.

"I think the cost of delay is real," in terms of lost sales to competitors in Europe and Canada and the damage being done around the world to U.S. credibility on trade, he said.

Brady said he was confident TAA could pass on its own in the House and a path could be found to ensure its passage in the Senate, even if it is severed from the South Korea pact.

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Democratic Representative Joseph Crowley also said he was anxious to see the pacts approved but the all-consuming negotiations on a deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling by Aug. 2 has also been an impediment.

Democrats view TAA as a vital part of the U.S. social safety net. Many Republicans question the program's cost and effectiveness. The White House has negotiated a bipartisan deal to reform TAA, but it has not reached a deal with Republicans on how Congress will consider the package.

Congress cannot vote on the trade deals until President Barack Obama formally submits them to Congress. Kirk did not comment on growing concern that Obama might not send the deals to Congress until after the August break.

Just before Kirk spoke, the president of insurer MetLife's (MET.N) international businesses, William Toppeta, expressed frustration widely felt in the U.S. business community that the deals have not been passed by Congress.

"This is a great country and in a great country it ought to be possible for the elected political leadership to come together and pass three excellent trade agreements with staunch allies who have stood with us politically, militarily and economically," Toppeta said.

"We strongly urge political leadership in the administration and Congress across parties to ratify these agreements immediately. They are critical to the international competitiveness of U.S. companies and workers and to sustain and creating jobs," Toppeta said.

Kirk told the company executives that the administration understands their frustration and is working hard on the issue. Kirk said he sees less than a 10 percent chance the deals would not be passed by Congress.

A business lobbyist, speaking on condition that he not be identified, said his organization was told on Tuesday that the administration would not submit the agreements until September and had been expecting Kirk or his office to announce that.

Brady said he thought that would be a mistake.

"If the White House is considering not sending them, I hope they'll reconsider," Brady said. (Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Will Dunham and Eric Beech)