C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 000217
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/11
TAGS: ETRD, ECON, PREL, ELAB, EAIR, PGOV, CO
SUBJECT: "FTA WITH U.S. IS BLOCKING COLOMBIA'S GLOBAL TRADE POLICY,"
SAYS TRADE MINISTER
CLASSIFIED BY: William R. Brownfield, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B), (D)
1. (C) SUMMARY. Colombian Trade Minister Luis Guillermo Plata
told us the lack of U.S. Congressional action on the U.S.-Colombia
Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA) is hampering Colombian efforts to
integrate into the world economy and in particular threatening
pending accords with Canada and the European Union. Plata noted
that recent comments about the CTPA by senior USG officials had
generated mixed signals in the Colombian press. He reiterated
Colombia's commitment to cooperate on issues important to the USG,
like Pathways to Prosperity, but said the GOC views such
initiatives as "much less significant than the CTPA." END SUMMARY.
"U.S. DOMESTIC PROBLEM HAS BECOME COLOMBIA'S GLOBAL PROBLEM"
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2. (C) In a February 9 meeting with EconCouns, Minister Plata
expressed his "incredible frustration" over what he described as a
U.S. domestic political problem with the CTPA spilling over into
Colombia's trade relations with third countries. Plata asserted
that human rights and violence against labor union members had
previously not been an issue with Canada, but were now the reason
for a delay in the House of Commons voting on their FTA. Likewise,
Plata said he expects the European Parliament to delay a vote on
Colombia's FTA with the EU over the same issues. Negotiations on
the Colombia-EU accord may close this month, with signature of the
deal possible in May.
3. (C) Plata described several efforts Colombia has made to
integrate into the global economy, including attempts to join the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Trans-Pacific
Partnership, as well as a range of bilateral investment treaties
and free trade agreements across the globe. He claimed that to
greater or lesser degrees, the political process surrounding the
CTPA has complicated many of these efforts.
"FOUR YEARS OF GOOD INTENTIONS"
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4. (C) Plata said the Colombians understand well the political
realities in the U.S. surrounding the CTPA. He welcomed President
Obama's State of the Union call to strengthen trade relations with
Colombia as a positive sign. However, Plata opined that recent
Colombian media coverage of senior USG officials' comments about
the CTPA have left Colombians confused. Plata described a concern
within the GOC and Colombian business community that the latest
headlines about the CTPA would amount to a continuation of "four
years of good intentions that have so far amounted to nothing."
NOTE: It has been nearly four years since negotiations of the CTPA
closed. END NOTE.
"WE WILL SUPPORT USG INITIATIVES... BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP"
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5. (C) Minister Plata pledged continued Colombian support for the
Hemispheric Pathways to Prosperity initiative. He offered that
Colombia might be able to share some best practices from the
Ministry's Productive Transformation program, which focuses on
developing promising sectors of the economy. Plata was also
receptive to the concept of an Open Skies agreement with the U.S.
He further pointed to the GOC's cooperative posture at the
Copenhagen Summit. Finally, he commented that WTO Director General
Pascal Lamy had requested a meeting with President Uribe in Davos
for the sole purpose of thanking Colombia for its proactive,
pragmatic position in the Doha talks.
6. (C) Plata committed to continue supporting USG positions and
initiatives in general terms. However, he pointed out that the GOC
considered such initiatives as being "much less significant" than
CTPA passage. Q asked for U.S. help in passing "the lynchpin of
Colombian trade policy." Minister Plata said that passage of the
CTPA would have a domino effect on Colombia's other agreements and
initiatives to solidify its role as a positive force on the global
stage.
COMMENT: OTHERS CORROBORATE CLAIMS ABOUT EU, CANADA
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7. (C) A private sector contact, who has participated in the
Colombia-EU agricultural negotiations, told us that European
Parliament members had told him that U.S. inaction on the CTPA over
labor-related issues would prove "problematic" for the EU when it
came time for a vote on their own FTA. This contact also claimed
that "a team of 20-30 anti-trade labor leaders has camped out in
Europe" for the duration of the negotiations, in an attempt to turn
the European political tide against an FTA with Colombia.
Similarly, Canada's vote on its FTA with Colombia, which originally
was to take place in June 2009, is still pending. Contacts in the
Canadian Embassy in Bogota have told us the delays are partially
linked to apprehension within the House of Commons of "getting out
in front of the U.S. Congress."
BROWNFIELD