Colombian president welcomes U.S. advance in FTA

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos welcomed the news here Wednesday that the U.S. government has notified Congress of its consideration to ratify a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).


For a very long time, this has been something they had been waiting for, Santos said at a military event in Bogota, adding that during the last meeting with President Barack Obama a few weeks ago, they agreed that this step was the next to be taken.


The notification was published today in a letter from the U.S. Trade Representative's office, ensuring that the nation is ready to advance the approval process.


The bilateral trade agreement, initially signed in 2006 by the two governments, is still pending. It has has not been approved by the U.S. Congress because the sections on labor protection and human rights need to be strengthened, Congress believed.


Since taking power in August last year, Santos has pledged to make changes to meet the U.S. demands, hoping that the FTA will ultimately be ratified and take effect.
(Source:http://news.xinhuanet.com)