Colombians try to dispel U.S. doubts in trade push
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Colombian business and civil society groups are in Washington this week seeking to dispel deep doubts about union-related violence that threaten to derail a proposed free trade deal in the U.S. Congress.
Colombian analysts, business leaders, and pollsters met with aides on Capitol Hill, U.S. union leaders and human rights advocates as they try to turn around a debate on the U.S.-Colombian pact which has focused largely on Colombia's record on crimes directed at unionists.
The groups are lobbying for quick passage of the bilateral deal even as some in the Democratic-controlled Congress complain Colombian President Alvaro Uribe hasn't done enough to stem violence -- but they also want to see an interim extension to trade preferences for Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.
With violence on the decline, they warn export-oriented business was in jeopardy.
"There is a lot of risk now to lose business ... the situation is very complicated and we have two weeks until (the trade preferences) expire," said Carlos Botero, an apparel executive with Colombia's National Business Association.
The preferences, part of the Andean Trade Preference and Drug Eradication Act, are due to expire at the end of June.
The Bush administration wants to see a short-term renewal of the preferences, while some senior members of the House of Representatives want to see an extension for at least two years.
Companies that rely on exports to the United States -- textiles, footwear, and flowers especially -- are "panicked" just a few weeks before the preferences expire.
"We don't see ATPDEA as tool to grow our businesses; we see ATPDEA as a bridge," Botero said.
Some members of Congress demand visible proof that violence against union members has declined in Colombia before they'll even consider supporting the trade pact. It's unclear what would help get more support for the deal.
Uribe is also grappling with other problems at home as allies face probes linking them to right-wing paramilitaries.
The Bush administration has trade deals with Panama, Peru and South Korea that need Congress' approval. The Colombian and South Korean pacts are seen as most contentious.
