Colombian Trade Minister Luis Guillermo Plata earlier this week officially expressed Colombia’s wish to negotiate a free trade pact with the EU outside the CAN, preferably together with Peru.The EU has been negotiating with the CAN about a free trade pact, but are deadlocked, because Ecuador and Bolivia refuse to commit to demands by the World Trade Organization, a condition set by the EU.Despite the standstill of the CAN, Ferrero-Waldner refuses to start negotiations with Colombia seperately: “Please hear this clearly coming from my own mouth, our intention is to negotiate with the CAN like a bloc,” the Commissioner said Thursday.Solana, who was visiting Bogotá Wednesday, had expressed in a press conference in Colombia’s presidential palace said he would like talking to countries outside the Andean bloc.The diplomat acknowledged that the talks with CAN have progressed, but warned about the slow pace, because these nations have been difficult to take a unified position on the terms of trade agreement.The European Union generally only negotiates trade with groups of country, hardly ever with countries on a bilateral basis.
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