Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has said that in his upcoming meeting with U.S. counterpart Barack Obama, the two will discuss the free trade agreement between the two nations and seek to set a definitive timetable for its enactment.
“For us it is very important to set a date because upon that date depends the final approval of the FTA in [U.S.] Congress and when it becomes effective,” said Santos, who is due to meet Obama at 3:00PM Thursday afternoon.
Their meeting will review aspects of the FTA between the two countries but Santos stated that its purpose is “not about renegotiating any agreement,” announced a government press release.
Santos nevertheless admitted that there are some issues that still need to be resolved, although he maintained that on the majority of issues, such as labor rights, “in principle we have no problem.”
“If we reach an agreement on the issues that are still in disagreement,” he continued, “I would expect that [today] a date will be set.”