MIAMI —
A U.S. official said Monday that implementation of long-awaited free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama is expected in a matter of months.
When the U.S. Congress passed the two trade accords, as well as one with South Korea, in October, it also approved implementing measures, said Jose W. Fernandez, assistant secretary for business and economic affairs. But the other countries still need to ratify measures that will make the agreements reality.
Touted as job creators, the free trade accords will phase out most duties on trade between the U.S. and the three countries. South Florida’s international community has followed the progress of the Colombia and Panama pacts especially closely because Colombia is already the region’s second-largest trading partner and Panama is this area’s 16th most important trade partner.
Both Latin American countries are working on implementation issues, said Fernandez, who stopped in Miami en route to Colombia and Peru where he plans to meet with government officials, U.S. companies working there, and students.
To answer congressional concerns about violence against labor unionists in Colombia and get the long-stalled agreement with Colombia moving last spring, the U.S. and Colombia agreed to an action plan that established benchmarks and timetables for the Andean country to strengthen and better enforce labor laws and enhance protection of unionists.
“They are on track. They are taking the steps that are necessary,” said Fernandez. ”The action plan is what takes time.“
Asked when he expected the FTA’s to take effect, Fernandez said, “Most of the things are really up to them.” But he added, “It’s more a question of months, rather than years.”
Fernandez’s trip comes as some have questioned the administration’s commitment to its Latin American neighbors in light of President Barack Obama’s trip to Asia last fall. The president announced plans to greatly expand the Trans Pacific Partnership, which includes the United States, and seemed to be putting the Pacific Rim at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy. U.S. exports to Latin America also have fallen since 2000.
But Fernandez called the United States’ relationship with the Western Hemisphere “second to none” and pointed out that 40 percent to 45 percent of U.S. exports still head to the Western Hemisphere.
The United States, he said, is still the largest foreign direct investor in Latin America and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has visited the region 26 times since taking office.
He also noted that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is scheduled to make a state visit to the United States on April 9 — just days before the April 14-15 Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia.
“Brazil, in many ways, is an example of what you can achieve with the right policies,” he said. “They were able to grow by bringing millions of people into the middle class.”
National News
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