U.S. Senate to Begin Ratification of Free Trade Agreement with Peru Next Week

[OhioChick]

4 September, 2007

According to Peru's RPP news, the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance announced today that on September 11, U.S. Congress would formally begin the ratification process of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the U.S. and Peru.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, which deals with trade pacts between the U.S. and other countries, placed on its agenda for Tuesday the 11 a hearing which is to deal with the free trade pact between the U.S. and Peru which is almost two years old.

Peru's RPP news reported that U.S. Trade Representative, Susan Schwab said, "I am very pleased about the fact that Congress is about to begin the formal process to approve the Free Trade Agreement with Peru."

It was reported however, that the free trade pacts the U.S. has with Colombia and Panama, have not been placed on Congress' agenda, despite that fact that they have been signed and are pending ratification.

http://www.livinginperu.com/news/4639

Glad to hear that Congress is approving more free trade agreements. :sarcasm:

[papau]

1. Only Peru has responded for the demand for labor rights and fair trade laws - but I wasn't

aware that the AFL/CIO considered it an adequate response. Indeed, I am not aware the government has admitted death squadding labor leaders, or promised to stop doing so in the future. So called problems were listed a year ago as:

* Intellectual property
o Patent protection
o Recognition of autochthonous and traditional knowledge
* Government spending
o No discrimination against foreign investors
* Agriculture
o Elimination of export subsidies
o Schedule for tariff reduction
o Application of farming safeguard measures
o Technical cooperation and assistance programs
* Environment
o Effective enforcement of environmental legislation
o Sovereignty to adopt and modify environmental legislation
o Mechanisms for environmental cooperation
* Labor
o Rigorous enforcement of national legislation
o Fundamental International Labor Organization treaties
o Sovereignty to modify legislation
o Mechanisms for cooperation
* Animals
o Habitat Loss Due to Expansion of Mining Development
o Increased U.S. pork and poultry exports funding factory farming
o Legislation to protect animals could be seen as trade barrier