Democrat to revisit Colombia trade pact on trip

[Judi Lynn]

Democrat to revisit Colombia trade pact on trip
By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON | Wed Jan 12, 2011 2:51pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior Democratic lawmaker opposed to a free trade agreement with Colombia headed to that country on Wednesday to see what progress has been made on labor concerns related to the pact.

Representative Sander Levin's "purpose is essentially a fact-finding mission to observe first-hand conditions relevant to the Colombia FTA," a spokeswoman for the lawmaker said.

"It will provide an update on those conditions on the ground today in comparison with those he observed during a similar trip 21 months ago," she added.

Levin until recently was chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade agreements.

He has opposed action on the agreement on the grounds that Colombia needs to do more to strengthen its labor laws to stop violence against labor union members and to aggressively prosecute past crimes.

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