Alliance for Responsible Trade

Joint Statement of the Alliance for Responsible Trade (U.S.) and RECALCA (Colombia)

This week, Republican presidential candidate John McCain will visit Cartagena, Colombia to express his continued support for embattled Colombian President, Alvaro Uribe, and to promote the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which was put on indefinite hold over the serious human rights concerns of many in the U.S. Congress.  Mr. McCain will no doubt use this visit to attempt to convince U.S. voters that, with regard to foreign and economic policy, he has the experience and judgment necessary to govern the United States for the next four years.  However, his wholesale embrace of the Bush Administration's policy toward Colombia will win him little support among U.S. voters and will further alienate the citizens of Latin America who want to see real change in Washington.

In embracing Uribe, Mr. McCain strengthens his support for a government that has long-standing ties with right-wing paramilitary organizations.  These organizations have been linked to numerous crimes, including massacres, murder, and drug trafficking.  Indeed, several dozen senators, representatives, and senior government officials, most of who are closely allied with the president, have been arrested or are being questioned for links to these illegal organizations.  These revelations call into question the government's commitment to justice and peace in Colombia.  Moreover, new information has surfaced that President Uribe bribed public officials to support his re-election bid in 2006.  Just last week he refused to accept a Supreme Court decision which questioned the legality of his re-election. An uncritical embrace of the Uribe Administration is not the message that any presidential candidate should send.

Further, we have fully reviewed the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement and have deep concerns about its potential impacts on the people of the United States and Colombia.  The ongoing and escalating violence against trade unionists, with 31 murdered this year alone, and the poor enforcement of the flawed labor laws weighs heavily against the agreement.  However, the problems with the trade agreement do not end there.  The agreements' predicted impact on rural communities and on public health, present serious risks to the people of Colombia.  These and other concerns weigh heavily against any trade agreement with Colombia at this time.

It is unlikely that Mr. McCain will talk to anyone outside of government and the business elite during his visit.  If he were to talk to the working men and women of Colombia, listen to their concerns and the reality of their daily lives, we believe that he would come away with a much deeper understanding of the kind of relationship Colombia, and Latin America, wants with the United States. His failure to do so will unfortunately perpetuate the same failed policies of the past, and further lower the image of the U. S. in the region.

The Alliance for Responsible Trade (U.S.) and RECALCA (Colombia) represent broad-based civil society networks, including churches, unions, and non-governmental organizations, which advocate for fair trade nationally and internationally.