It Ain’t Over ‘Til the Fat Lady Sings

It is essential to avoid additional conditions for the approval of the Free Trade Agreement.

It certainly seems striking that a person who had previously acted harshly against Colombia is suddenly extending a good conduct certificate, but this is exactly what happened in Washington on Tuesday, Jul. 14 when U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk recognized that the country had fulfilled the commitments acquired by Juan Manuel Santos last April during a visit to the White House. Under this premise, the North American Congress would finally be close to ratifying the Free Trade Agreement signed by both nations in the middle of the past decade.

Both its supporters and its critics acknowledge the idea that the FTA is closer than ever to becoming a reality. In fact, this week, the powerful groups AFL-CIO and CWA released a scathing offensive against the bilateral pact with the argument that you cannot award a nation where so many human rights problems exist and where dozens of leaders in the labor section have been murdered.

In any case, although this approach can cause controversy in certain areas, the fundamental idea is of a different kind. Even though the legislative and presidential elections are still 17 months away, the campaign has already started, and Democrats as well as Republicans are already positioning themselves to win the approval of voters. With the economy crawling at half pace and the unemployment rate at elevated levels, it is about proving that the decisions newly elected officials intend to make will help end the recession more rapidly in the northern colossus.

In the particular case of Colombia, there is a relative consensus that the United States’ interests will benefit from the treaty. Nevertheless, the obstacle is due to the fact that it would create a precedent that favors countries affected by this type of scheme, including South Korea and Panama, which are on the pending list. Therefore, in a sense, as Barack Obama and his delegation prepare a relief package worth hundreds of millions of dollars, the Republican Party opposes this by arguing that it would be a waste of the taxpayers’ money.

Having pointed out this Gordian Knot which for months has hindered the advancement of the commercial initiative, it may finally end in a few days and clear the path in the future. For this reason, the administration is now the one interested in obtaining the merits, which explains Ron Kirk’s attitude change as his personnel began working with Congress a few weeks ago to chisel out reports and rough drafts for legislation.

Nonetheless, until the day comes for the formal delivery of the treaty to the Capitol for its revision, Colombia must remain completely cautious. This doesn’t just have to do with the FTA, but also with the renovation of custom preferences which expired in February and have cost the national exporters a considerable sum. Taking into account that Peru took almost a year to start its treaty, Colombia must expect a reasonable time period rather than plan to return what has been paid until now.

Similarly, it is essential to avoid adding more conditions because there are those who want to leave some sort of certification in the hands of the White House before things start moving in a definitive way. More requirements would not only be unfair to Colombia but also undignified, as the country has faithfully fulfilled its part in the negotiations and rightly pursues the conclusion of the FTA after the long road it has had to travel.