BOGOTA -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived Thursday afternoon at Medellin for two days of talks aimed at reviving a contentious free trade deal with Colombia.
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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 23, 2008. [Xinhua]
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Rice and her delegation -- 10 Democratic congressmen -- are to meet Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Colombian Friday. The visitors will also meet government officials, trade union leaders and representatives from the private sector to discuss the free trade issue, said the State Department.
The United States has already signed a free trade agreement with Colombia but the deal is being held up by Congress, where a Democratic majority is opposed to the agreement because of violence against businessmen in Colombia.
Over 1,200 soldiers and police officers have been deployed to guarantee Rice's security.
Colombia already enjoys duty-free access to the United States under the Andean Trade Promotion Agreement, however, this is set to expire next month.