The N.Y. Times reports:
Peru and Panama are considered most likely to win early Congressional approval. Colombia is more problematic, because Democrats are demanding that, besides the new measures, more protections be added to prevent violence against activists trying to organize workers.
The South Korea accord, if put in place, would lead to the largest amount of increased trade. But it is opposed in its current version by Democrats who want greater access to that country’s markets for American beef, automobiles and auto parts. [NY Times]
[...] Read more of this story… [...]
[...] The words that deserve to be remembered here were those of former congressman James Leach, who diplomatically predicted both the transfer of power in Congress last November, and that the FTA would have to pass in a Republican Congress or not at all (the second bullet of my “random observations” of this hearing was based on Leach’s comments). And sure enough, the deal ran into immediate trouble in Congress, even though the draft was signed while Congress was in recess. This led to my second prediction of the FTA’s death, which now looks to be spot-on. [...]