Colombia's Santos Seeks More US Military Aid, Trade Pact Passage

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia's Santos Seeks More US Military Aid, Trade Pact Passage
Date : 06/04/2010 @ 2:08PM
Source : Dow Jones News

Juan Manuel Santos, the likely successor to outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, wants the U.S. to step up its military aid to this Andean nation, which has used Washington's support to make headway against the drug trade and a decades-old Marxist guerrilla group.

Santos, who has a commanding 25-point lead over his nearest rival ahead of a second-round vote slated for June 20, also wants the U.S. Congress to ratify a signed free-trade agreement with Colombia that has been collecting dust since 2006.

U.S. lawmakers have cited concern over the murders of labor leaders and human rights violations for the delay in ratifying the agreement. "What we've done to protect human rights is enough" to ensure passage of the trade deal, Santos said in an interview this week with Dow Jones Newswires.

The government has cited a drastic reduction in the killings of labor leaders and the murder rate in Colombia as examples of its commitment to human rights and protecting labor activists.

Santos also said the U.S.'s shared responsibility in the drug-trade problem--the U.S. is the main market for Colombian cocaine--should translate into more military aid from Washington.

More:
http://www.advfn.com/news_Colombias-Santos-Seeks-More-US-Military-Aid-Trade-Pact-Passage_43104268.html

[Dr.Phool]

1. Fuck off Santos.

Haven't you heard that we have a budget crisis here? And, we've got more free trade than we can handle.

[ck4829]

2. Santos was in charge of the military when the "false positives" killings were in full swing

He is a war criminal, plain and simple.

[Judi Lynn]

3. You'd think that would loom largely in the campaign, but then it's not a free country by any means,

considering all the death threats and death sentences which go out to the critics of the ruling party.