Paulson: ready to discuss Colombia trade with Pelosi

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration is prepared to discuss House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's demands for new legislation to help the U.S. economy to set the stage for a vote on the Colombia free-trade agreement, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Thursday.

"I look forward to ... talking to her," Paulson told Reuters in an interview. "I think the last time I talked with her was last Tuesday. She said she was going to call me back with some ideas. I'm always willing to listen and I would very much like to see Colombia get done."

President George W. Bush has accused Pelosi of effectively killing the U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement by pushing through a vote in the House to indefinitely delay action on the pact.

Since then, Pelosi has said she is willing to talk with the administration about scheduling a vote, but only if other domestic economic concerns are addressed first.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Neil Stempleman)