ISDS Case Map
US
Coal mines in Colombia may not become the gold mines they could have been for Caterpillar Inc should a stalled US-Colombia free trade agreement fail to progress through Congress.
The only way the Colombian deal will remain the first accord of its kind defeated in Washington, it's clear, is if organized labor continues to play the central role in establishing the terms of debate around basic human rights and keeping Democratic members of Congress in line.
President Bush and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe renewed their push on Saturday for Congress to approve a free-trade deal before lawmakers leave town to campaign for re-election.
Videos from Morocco TVArchive, uploaded in 2008
Both sides in the debate over the controversial trade deal with Colombia believe the pact has a better chance of passing next year if Barack Obama is elected president. The irony is that Obama has been an opponent of the deal, while Republican presidential candidate John McCain is a staunch supporter of the accord.
A day ahead of a scheduled meeting with US President George W Bush, Panamanian President Martin Torrijos continued pushing Tuesday for approval of a free trade deal between the countries. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. also vowed to continue fighting for passage of the agreement and pledged to continue that fight for years, if necessary.
While the eyes of the world focus on the internal crisis in Bolivia and the unfolding tensions in the Andean region, the pro-Bush government of Colombia is engaged in one of its most intensive lobbying efforts in recent memory, a full court press that will culminate with the visit next week of President Alvaro Uribe to Washington.
The Bush administration, Republican lawmakers and business groups pressed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday to allow votes on free trade pacts with Colombia, Panama and South Korea by the end of the year.
The US House of Representatives defied a White House veto threat on Tuesday by voting to end a controversial pilot program, begun last year under NAFTA, that gives long-haul commercial trucks from Mexico full access to US highways.
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Peru and the United Stated is expected to come into force starting January 2009, after both presidents Alan García and George W. Bush announce the completion of this implementation process during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) to be held in November in Lima, Peru.
