U.S. President Barack Obama “supports the rapid ratification” of his nation’s pending free trade agreement with Colombia, said the U.S. Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Arturo Valenzuela, on Wednesday.
Speaking at the Ibero-American summit in Madrid, Valenzuela reaffirmed the U.S. government’s committment to the agreement but warned that it “is not an easy process,” reported El Espectador.
“There is a commitment from management, but these are complicated issues in the politics of Washington,” said Valenzuela.
“The administration is working on it. This is not to leave Colombia on the sidelines. We greatly value the relationship with Colombia,” he added.
In early April, Colombia’s ambassador to the U.S., Carolina Barco, said her country would renew efforts to lobby U.S. Congress in support of the pending free trade agreement.
The U.S.-Colombian FTA was signed in 2006 under former U.S. President George W. Bush. The agreement has been ratified by the Colombian Congress, but has remained in limbo in the U.S., with President Barack Obama having yet to send it to Congress for a vote.
