Uribe urges fast action on U.S.-Colombia trade pact

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Friday urged the U.S. Congress to quickly approve a bilateral free-trade agreement that was sidelined in April by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"The sooner we get approval, the sooner we are going to get much more investment in Colombia," Uribe said in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington on the first of a two-day personal lobbying visit to try to promote the deal.

"Growing investment is the best alternative to illegal drugs, and never forget: illegal drugs are the nutrition of terrorists in our country," Uribe said, referring to Colombia's decades-old guerrilla insurgency.

Uribe said he spoke by telephone on Thursday with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who has been opposed to the Colombia pact.

"It was a constructive telephone conversation," Uribe said, adding that it would not be prudent for him to say whether Obama said he would be open to a vote on the pact this year.

Like many Democrats, the Illinois senator has insisted Colombia must do more to reduce murders and other violence against trade unionists before Congress votes on the accord.

"Senator Obama had a good conversation with President Uribe that covered a range of issues," an Obama campaign spokeswoman said.

Around 100 union and human rights activists were outside the press club to protest Uribe's speech. They carried signs and chanted "Human rights, yes. FTA, no."

Republican presidential candidate John McCain visited Colombia in July in a show of support for the free-trade agreement and for Uribe, a staunch U.S. ally.

INDEFINITE DELAY

The deal was signed in November 2006, over the protests of many Democrats who just a few weeks before had won an election that would give them control of the House and the Senate.

President George W. Bush submitted the agreement to Congress in April, but Pelosi responded by pushing through a vote to indefinitely delay action on the pact.

However, Colombia still hopes Congress will approve the agreement in a possible "lame duck" session after the November 4 congressional and presidential elections.

Pelosi has said Congress can only vote on the agreement after it passes a second economic stimulus package and legislation to reform and expand a federal assistance program for workers who have lost their jobs because of import competition or factories moving overseas.

A Democratic aide said Uribe has not called Pelosi to talk about scheduling a vote and the speaker would be not be meeting with Uribe during his visit.