Update on Possible Lame Duck Vote on the Colombia FTA

Special thanks to Jessica Walker Beaumont and Natalia Cardona from the American Friends Service Committee and Tom Loudon and Jenny Atlee from the Quixote Center and Alliance for Responsible Trade

We write in celebration of a new political moment in U.S.-Colombia relations.  President-elect Obama clearly stated his opposition to a U.S. - Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as recently as the last presidential debate in October.  “The history in Colombia right now is that labor leaders have been targeted for assassination on a fairly consistent basis and there have not been prosecutions,” Obama said. “I think that the important point is we’ve got to have a president who understands the benefits of free trade but also ... is going to stand up to other countries.”

Unfortunately, President Bush considers passing a Colombia FTA such an important part of his legacy that he urged Mr. Obama to reconsider his stance in their first face-to-face meeting at the White House.  As Congress considers reconvening for a lame duck session to pass urgently needed economic recovery measures, President Bush indicated to Mr. Obama his strong interest in also having the Colombia FTA passed.

Newly designated White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel challenged President Bush to not focus on the FTA, arguing that the priority is to extend unemployment insurance and healthcare assistance to economically-embattled states.  "You don't link those essential needs to some other trade deal," explained Emanuel. "What you have to deal with is what's immediate here, and the lame duck is for immediate things that are important. That's what should be the focus, right now. There's an economic recovery package in front of the Congress. Washington should get it done."

House Speaker Pelosi has shown great leadership on the Colombia FTA, and has not bowed to the President’s pressure yet.  We hope that President-elect Obama’s views on the legislation will stand firm in this debate.  We need to make sure that Congress will not exchange passage of the FTA for passage of an economic recovery package or an auto industry bailout.

This is especially critical in light of recent events in Colombia, where the situation has worsened.  In September, 18,000 workers in the sugar industry in Colombia’s Cauca and Valle del Cauca Departments went on strike in response to the refusal by the Sugar Cane Growers’ Association, Asocaña, to negotiate with them for better working conditions. 

Two weeks into their protest, police responded to the strike with violence injuring 40 workers. Government officials tied the sugar cane workers to guerrilla terrorist groups simply because they were exercising their right to organize and strike. Workers continued their strike despite state efforts to criminalize legitimate social protest to improve labor conditions. 

Also in October, the National Organization of Indigenous People (ONIC) began a National Mobilization of Indigenous and Popular Resistance across Colombia.  The mobilizations drew attention to the dire situation indigenous peoples’ face across Colombia and protested policies which undermine their Constitutional rights including the FTA. 

The initial government response to the peaceful marches was swift, violent and excessive.  In Cauca, representatives of the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN) reported that 73 people were wounded by machetes and unconventional weapons. At least a dozen people were wounded by live ammunition. One person was killed by shots fired into the crowd by the armed forces.  Witnesses reported the use of high-powered weapons including M-16s. 

On October 23, after weeks of denying that police had fired on protesters, President Uribe acknowledge that the police had indeed fired live rounds into the crowd. The President’s admission was likely prompted by a CNN video clearly showing a masked police officer firing his weapon. Click here to see the CNN video.

The month of October ended with confirmation from the Colombian government that members of the armed forces are involved in killing innocent civilians and passing them off as guerillas fallen in combat.  This scandal resulted in the firing of 27 military officers—including three generals and 11 colonels and lieutenant colonels, however cover-up and denial of involvement persist at higher levels of government. 

This long list of serious human rights violations from just the last few months is in stark contrast to the claims being made that the human rights situation is improving in Colombia.  It reinforces our determination to stop the U.S.-Colombia FTA and end U.S. military aid to Colombia.

We will keep you informed as events unfold.  Stay alert in case we need you to take action to stop a lame duck passage of the Colombia FTA!

Comments

[Paul Garver]

Good report on need to sustain opposition to U.S.-Colombia FTA.

One bit of good news. The strike of the sugar cane cutters is now over and the strikers have won an important, if partial, victory. See my report at http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2008/11/14/cane-cutters-win-strike-victory-in-colombia/