Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe said today that Canada’s approval of a free trade accord with the South American country may convince other nations to move forward with similar agreements.
Canada’s Parliament last night gave its final approval to the agreement with Colombia, a move that may give agricultural producers an advantage over U.S. competitors in the Latin American country. The two countries began negotiations in 2007 and signed the agreement in 2008.
“This is something that may be persuasive for other accords that are under way,” Uribe, who leaves office on Aug. 7, said in a statement.
Uribe is hoping the Canada accord may ease the way for a similar agreement with the U.S., which was reached in 2006 but never ratified. U.S. critics of free trade with Colombia say the government must improve the country’s human rights record before any deal can be approved.
To read the rest of this story please go to: Bloomberg