Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Sunday that the United States will continue to support the Free Trade Agreement and Plan Colombia, following a visit from U.S. Officials.
Santos made the comments after Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. Senate Patrick Leahy visited the Caribbean coastal city of Cartagena along with several U.S. Senators to discuss issues of joint interest between the two countries.
Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Santos said, “[We] carried out a review of the bilateral agenda between the two countries, which showed a convergence on many issues and also that his [Leahy’s] country offers unconditional support.”
According to Santos, the meeting also included discussion of regional politics, human rights violations in Colombia and advances in protection and assistance of victims of the armed conflict.
The Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and Colombia was signed in 2011 after the U.S. legislature had stalled it for several years over Colombia’s poor record of human rights violations and killings of trade unionists. Less than two weeks ago U.S. officials expressed concern over Colombia’s continued failure to address the violence, which is still ongoing.
The White House recently announced it plans to further reduce military aid to Colombia in 2013.
