Congress may force free-trade pacts with Peru and Colombia to be revised

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Thu, Jan. 18, 2007
FREE TRADE
Congress may force free-trade pacts with Peru and Colombia to be revised
The new Democratic Congress may force changes in already negotiated trade pacts with Peru and Colombia.
BY PABLO BACHELET

WASHINGTON - Faced with the inevitability of a trade-skeptic Democratic-controlled Congress, the Bush administration has told Peru and Colombia that their free-trade agreements with the United States will need ''substantive adjustments'' to secure Congressional approval.

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative John K. Veroneau told reporters Wednesday that the concessions were needed to assuage Democratic objections over labor rights.

The Bush administration has negotiated free-trade agreements with the Andean nations but has not yet submitted them for congressional ratification. The United States has also finished negotiating a free-trade pact with Panama except for the labor chapters, which were kept open with an eye to incorporate Democratic suggestions.

Veroneau said, ''It is clear that some adjustments'' to the labor provisions would be required. ``We've informed Peru, Colombia and Panama that we expect that before the agreements are taken up by Congress that we will need to make some substantive adjustments to those texts.''
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16483907.htm

[BayCityProgressive]

1. They better be

pretty fucking substantive.