Rice to visit Colombia in push for trade pact

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will lead a group of U.S. lawmakers on a trip to Colombia on Thursday and Friday to help build support for a free trade pact with that country and to discuss regional security issues, the U.S. State Department said.

"Secretary Rice and the delegation will meet with Colombian government officials, trade union leaders and representatives from the private sector," the State Department said in a statement.

The Bush administration faces an uphill battle this year to win approval of the Colombia agreement, and two other pending free trade agreements with Panama and South Korea.

The AFL-CIO labor federation said it saw virtually no chance for the Colombia pact to win approval this year.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats have insisted that Colombia make more progress in reducing violence against trade unionists before Congress votes on that pact, which was signed in late 2006.

U.S. labor groups -- a key Democratic party constituency group -- strongly oppose the free trade agreement with Colombia, which they say has not done enough to stop killings of trade unionists and to end death threats against them.

Labor groups also complain that few murderers of Colombian trade unionists have ever been punished for their crimes.

The Bush administration argues Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has made great strides in restoring order to the country after decades of bloody civil conflict and is urging lawmakers to visit Colombia to see for themselves.

The administration also warns rejecting the agreement would hurt ties with one of the United States' strongest friends in Latin America, and bolster the standing of U.S. foes in the region, such as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

The White House hopes to persuade Pelosi to schedule a vote on the agreement and let Democrats vote their consciences, instead of insisting that party members oppose the pact.

However, one congressional aide said that was unlikely unless something happens to change the current political dynamic, such as Uribe taking strong new actions to show he is serious about bringing murderers to justice and ensuring Colombian workers can organize unions without fearing for their lives.

In December, Congress approved a similar free trade agreement with Colombia's neighbor Peru, which has had a much less violent past. The House voted 285-132 in favor of that agreement, with 176 Republicans and 116 Democrats on the "yes" side.

Bush administration officials acknowledge the vote on the Colombia agreement would be much tighter, even if Pelosi agrees to schedule a vote. Still, they hope to get to a majority by holding onto roughly the same number of Republicans and persuading about 40 to 50 Democrats to vote for the pact.

Thea Lee, policy director for the AFL-CIO labor federation, said that was "wishful thinking" on the Bush administration's part. Lee said she could not imagine any scenario where Congress would approve the agreement this year.

Congress would lose leverage in pushing for change in Colombia once the free trade agreement is approved, so lawmakers should insist the country make much more progress before they vote on the pact, Lee said.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)