Colombia’s ambassador to the U.S., Carolina Barco, said Tuesday her country will renew efforts to lobby U.S. Congress in support of the pending free trade agreement, reports CM&.
According to Barco, Colombia has successfully addressed the human rights concerns of many congressmen, which had blocked the passage of the FTA. The ambassador argued that the delay in putting the bill before Congress for ratification was due to the current preoccupation with domestic issues in the U.S.
“Human rights is not the problem now, it is more of a domestic political problem in the U.S., with all of their legislative efforts being focused on issues such as health and creating jobs.”
Ambassador Barco will be joined in her lobbying efforts by Colombia’s Trade, Industry and Tourism Minister Luis Guillermo Plata, who will travel to the U.S. to meet with congressmen.
The Colombian ambassador’s announcement occurred during a visit from top U.S. State Department official Arturo Valenzuela, who met with Defense Minister Gabriel Silva on Tuesday.
The U.S.-Colombian FTA was signed in 2006 under former U.S. President George W. Bush. It has been passed by the Colombian Congress, but has remained in limbo in the U.S., with President Barack Obama having yet to send it to Congress for a vote.