U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement PCUSA Washington Office, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship urge opposition to accord The Layman Online Friday, April 11, 2008 Citing concerns about human rights, labor and violence, two Presbyterian Church (USA) groups are calling for public opposition to the proposed free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia that is pending in Congress. The PCUSA's Washington Office issued an action alert on its Web site about the proposed accord. Under the headline "Take Action to Stop the U.S.-Colombia FTA Vote," it reads: "Please call your members of Congress and ask them to take a public position against the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. "The collective energy of faith-based, human rights and labor groups has stopped the FTA for a year because of the serious situation in Colombia with regards to human rights and labor concerns. As you may know, the head of the Presbyterian Church of Colombia has had to flee because of death threats due to his work on human rights. However, there has been a powerful all-out campaign launched by the administrations of both the Colombian and U.S. government to push the bill through. There have been six official U.S. Congressional delegations already sent to Colombia to see tours that do not present the full extent of the situation for labor, religious and human rights leaders. Five more are scheduled. "These delegations are not seeing: "The 3.8 million displaced people forced from their homes, a disproportionate number are Afro-Colombian and Indigenous people; "Families of union organizers, rather than labor leaders themselves, murdered so not to count in the closely watched assassination statistics; "Purportedly demobilized paramilitaries resurfacing with new names and intimidating those in the act of defending human rights; and "Increased extrajudicial executions of civilians by members of the Colombian armed forces. "Approving a FTA in a country engaged in a five-decade conflict will perpetuate these abuses and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis lived out every day. Neither we nor the people of Colombia can afford a NAFTA-style trade agreement that will cause more displacement and suffering. "People of faith all over the world are calling for international trade and investment systems that respect and promote the dignity of the human person, ensure the development and well-being of people in all nations, foster gender and racial equity and lead to environmental sustainability. However, the U.S.-Colombia FTA takes us far away from this goal. "A few calls can sway your members of Congress to take a public stand. It's easy." The proposed trade pact is also opposed by the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. The group issued a statement on its Web site with the headline "Take action to stop the U.S.-Colombia FTA." It reads: "'The debate around the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes at a time when the connections between commercial interests and conflict in Colombia have clearly resulted in human rights violations and continued humanitarian crises, especially among Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.' – AFSC (American Friends Service Committee) "The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship strongly opposes the proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Our years of work with the people of Colombia and our ongoing relationships there convict us that the FTA will only lead to more poverty, more injustice, and more violence for the people of Colombia. We add our voices to the many people of faith in the U.S. who oppose this agreement. "Please contact your representatives in Congress and let them know you oppose the U.S.-Colombia FTA." President Bush sent Congress the free trade agreement with Colombia on Monday, using so-called "fast track" authority that would require a vote on the measure within the next 90 legislative days. But on Thursday, the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives voted 224-195 to reject Bush's effort to force Congress to act on the accord within the next 90 legislative days. Eliminating the deadline allows Democrats to postpone a decision on the pact until after the November elections. Democrats said that they don't want to kill the accord, only postpone its consideration while Colombia works to reduce violence against labor organizers and Bush agrees to their measures to boost the U.S. economy. Bush has said that Colombia has taken dramatic action to cut down on violence, restore law and order and overhaul the Colombian economy. The Associated Press and Bloomberg News Service contributed to this report.

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