<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; "><a href="http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/economy/23256-obama-expected-to-ratify-fta-with-colombia-amidst-labor-rights-complaints.html" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/economy/23256-obama-expected-to-ratify-fta-with-colombia-amidst-labor-rights-complaints.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; position: static; z-index: auto; "><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">Obama expected to green light FTA despite unionist killings<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">Wednesday, 04 April 2012 08:24 Brandon Barrett<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce <a href="http://colombiareports.com/" target="_parent" title="Colombia" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: rgb(20, 80, 119); text-decoration: none; ">Colombia</span></a> has met the labor rights conditions demanded for final approval of its Free Trade Agreement, despite the continued killing of unionists., <a href="http://www.caracol.com.co/noticias/internacional/obama-certificara-a-colombia-en-derechos-laborales-en-la-cumbre-de-las-americas/20120404/nota/1664852.aspx" target="_blank" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: rgb(20, 80, 119); text-decoration: none; ">reported Radio Caracol</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">The announcement, expected at the <a href="http://colombiareports.com/component/tag/summit-of-the-americas.html" target="_blank" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: rgb(20, 80, 119); text-decoration: none; ">Summit of the Americas</span></a> to be held this month in <a href="http://colombiareports.com/travel-in-colombia/cartagena.html" target="_parent" title="Cartagena" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: rgb(20, 80, 119); text-decoration: none; ">Cartagena</span></a>, will give the green light for the final passage of the wide-ranging agreement that will eliminate trade tariffs and is expected to boost trade between the two countries.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">In April 2011, the U.S. Congress and the government of Colombia agreed upon a comprehensive <a href="http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2787" target="_blank" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: rgb(20, 80, 119); text-decoration: none; ">Action Plan</span></a> that would include "major, swift and concrete steps" for the national authorities to take before the implementation of the FTA. The main concerns surrounded the exploitation of workers and the safety of trade unionists, who have long been a target of violence for illegal armed groups.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; "><a href="http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22186-us-colombia-fta-still-waiting-for-unionist-violence-to-be-addressed.html" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: rgb(20, 80, 119); text-decoration: none; ">In February, the U.S. said Colombia had still not met its commitments to protect workers’ rights</span></a> -- but Obama's announcement will signal U.S. concerns have now been assauged.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">The expected finalization of the agreement comes as one of the United States largest unions, the <a href="http://www.aflcio.org/" target="_blank" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: rgb(20, 80, 119); text-decoration: none; ">American Federation of Labor</span></a>, <a href="http://www.portafolio.co/negocios/sindicato-ee-uu-pidio-obama-bloquear-el-tlc" target="_blank" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: rgb(20, 80, 119); text-decoration: none; ">sent a letter to Obama requesting that the FTA be scrapped </span></a>due to Colombia's continued labour rights abuses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">"Moving quickly towards implementation would jeopardize future improvements for Colombian workers and undermine efforts to secure rights - including labor and human rights - which would harm workers in both countries," said Richard Trumka, president of the union in the letter.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; position: static; z-index: auto; "><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif; color: black; ">Dozens of trade unionists were killed in 2011 -- the government says 30, unions say 51 -- and four have been killed this year, according to the National School of Labor, a Colombian trade union.</span></p><div apple-content-edited="true"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div><br></body></html>