InfoBrief - February 28, 2006

US Current Affairs and Media

• US and Colombia Reach Free Trade Agreement After nearly two years of intense negotiations, the United States has reached a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Colombia, the US’s second-largest agricultural market in Latin America. US Trade Representative Rob Portman promises this agreement to be a mutually-beneficial step towards economic security for the two countries. Portman also maintains that the agreement will “contribute to efforts to counter narco-terrorism, which threatens democracy and regional stability [in Colombia]." Colombia is the second Andean nation to reach a trade agreement with the US. The US and Peru agreed to a similar trade package in December 2005. Pending congressional approval, this agreement will provide Colombia with duty-free access to almost all US industrial goods. In return, Colombia will eliminate tariffs on many US agricultural goods, including cotton, wheat, soybeans, apples, pears and peaches. Politically sensitive products such as Colombian sugar and US poultry and rice will retain their original trade protections for the next several years. The agreement is seen by many as a “leveling of the playing field,” given the preferential trade status Colombia already enjoys with the US. Others view the agreement as inherently unequal. Lori Wallach, Director of Global Trade Watch, maintains that the intellectual property protections inserted in the agreement will be detrimental to generic drug manufacturers in Colombia. Other analysts have been critical of the agricultural allowances, arguing that US farm goods will flood Colombia’s market and create the potential for a return to the cultivation of illicit-use crops.
• Colombia, ELN Talks Conclude, Are Reset for April The second round of exploratory peace talks between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) concluded this week, and were set to begin again in April. While the two sides were unable to compose an agenda for the eventual negotiations, both parties are still optimistic. Antonio Garcia, military commander for the ELN, pointed to the Colombian government’s political recognition of the ELN as a sign that things were moving in the right direction. “The talks were unstable because it was not clear whether the government was dealing with criminal or guerrillas,” he said. “Our delegation had not been recognized politically until now.” In addition, the Colombian government has suspended warrants issued for Garcia and Ramiro Vargas, both of whom are involved in the peace talks.

Take Action and Promote Human Rights in Colombia!

• Representatives Sam Farr (D-CA) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) have drafted a letter to Secreatary of State Condolezza Rice, asking that she withhold further military aid to Colombia pending a thorough investigation of possible human rights violations committed by the Colombian government. The letter is circulating throughout the House of Representatives until February 28. Contact your local representative and urge them to sign onto Farr and McGovern's letter! Read both letters, provided by Latin America Working Group (LAWG).

Upcoming Events in the US

• Meeting with Indigenous Leaders from Colombia The US Office on Colombia, Amazon Alliance, Colombian Human Rights Committee, and Lutheran World Relief are sponsoring a meeting with Indigenous Leaders on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. in 1640 of the Longworth House Office Building. Discussion will cover the protection of Indigenous Peoples' rights in the context of Plan Colombia, the implications of the free trade agreement, and Colombia's new Forestry Law on indigenous rights to territory and natural resources. Presentation will be in Spanish with simultaneous interpretation (headsets). Coffee and refreshments will be provided.
• Ecumenical Advocacy Days are almost here! Come be a part of "the largest national gathering of U.S. grassroots progressive religious activists focused on the broad spectrum of international and domestic policies." The conference runs from March 10-13 in and around Washington, DC. Click here for more information.