[CTC] Congressional Statements Opposing Obama's Decision to Move Forward with FTA

[Gimena Sanchez]

http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_20396266/obama-wants-show-hes-serious-about-trade?source=rss

Obama seeks CEOs' help in Latin America
By JIM KUHNHENN Associated Press
Posted:   04/14/2012 03:15:06 AM CDT
Updated:   04/14/2012 12:48:42 PM CDT

CARTAGENA, Colombia—Declaring that a new environment for cooperation  
exists in the Americas, President Barack Obama sought to convince U.S.  
business Saturday that he's serious about expanding trade in Latin  
America while persuading the region to look northward once again.
Obama dismissed some of the tensions in the region as remnants of the  
past. He said the discussions and press accounts sometimes make him  
feel like he is in a "time warp" of "gun boat diplomacy and yanquis  
and the Cold War and this and that" dating to a time before he was born.

"That's not the world we live in today," he said. "My hope is that we  
all recognize this enormous opportunity we've got."

But playing the persuader is not an easy task. The U.S. faces trade  
competition from China, resistance from labor at home, a set of  
difficult regional issues that could dilute any focus on trade, and  
now the distraction of Secret Service agents in Cartagena relieved of  
duty on allegations of misconduct.

The business session was the first ever associated with a Summit of  
the Americas and it included executives from Wal-Mart Stores Inc.,  
PepsiCo, Yahoo and Caterpillar. Obama was joined on the stage at the  
forum by host, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Brazilian  
President Dilma Rousseff.

He complimented the government of Colombia and Brazil for their  
remarkable economic growth, saying that they served as models for  
success in the region.

"When we look at how we're


going to integrate further and take advantage of increased opportunity  
in the future its very important for us to not ignore how important it  
is to have a clean, transparent, open government that is working on  
behalf of its people," he said.
While U.S. exports in dollar amounts have increased in the Americas,  
its share of the market has declined over the past decade. China, in  
particular, is surpassing the U.S as a trading partner with Brazil,  
Chile, and Peru.

In the United States, labor is restive over a trade deal with Colombia  
that is awaiting final certification. The Colombian government has  
worked to meet the requirements of a labor rights agreement that was a  
condition of passage in Congress last year. The question in Cartagena  
was whether Obama, over the objections of U.S. union leaders, would  
certify that Colombia successfully has met the terms.

Obama commended the trade deal with Colombia as a "win-win" for both  
countries, but was silent on its final implementation.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue, who was among the  
attendees, said in an interview Saturday that even if Obama did not  
take that step while in Cartagena, he would not consider that a  
setback and predicted final certification probably would come within  
weeks. He said Obama may not make a major announcement so as not to  
irritate allies who oppose the deal.

Trade could be eclipsed by other issues: the discussion over Cuba's  
exclusion from the summit; a call from Latin American countries to  
consider legalizing drugs to ease the violence associated with  
narcotrafficking; even Argentina's claims to the British-controlled  
Falkland Islands.

Adding an embarrassing wrinkle to the visit was Friday's  
acknowledgement by the Secret Service that agents facing allegations  
of misconduct for deeds before the president's arrival had been sent  
home.

On the drug front, Obama flatly declared at the conference that  
legalizing drugs was not the solution to the drug cartels and the  
violence that has confronted the region. He said he was open to  
holding the debate but said strong economies, the rule of law and  
reduced demand for drugs would better contain the flow of drugs.

Among those pushing Obama to engage further in trade with Latin  
America is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Donohue told business leaders  
in Colombia that the U.S. is focusing too much on the Asia-Pacific  
region at the expense of Latin America. He called for more countries  
from the Americas to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which  
includes Chile and Peru.

"When people think about trans-Pacific they're all thinking about  
Asia," Donohue said in the interview. "The reason I raised that is to  
put focus on the bigger question: 'Where are we going to put our  
assets? Where are we going to put our energy?'"

Donohue is pressing for a trade deal with Brazil, South America's  
largest economy and one with growing global influence. But he  
acknowledged that there is no appetite in the United States to  
initiate such a step before the November elections.

Obama, in answers to questions submitted by Latin American journalists  
before leaving for Cartagena, said the U.S. exports three times more  
to Latin America than to China. He said 60 percent of Latin America's  
exports to the United States are manufactured goods, whereas 87  
percent of Latin America's exports to China were commodities.

"We believe that economic partnerships can't just be about nations  
extracting another's resources," he said.

The U.S. relationship with Argentina is increasingly contentious. U.S.  
companies complain that Argentina is erecting sizable barriers to U.S.  
exports. The Obama administration has bristled at the behavior and  
some in Washington wonder whether Argentina will remain in the Group  
of 20 large and emerging world economies.

Those issues could likely come up when Obama meets with Argentina's  
president, Cristina Fernandez, on the sidelines of the summit.

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