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Colombia

An Open Letter from the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN) to US President-Elect Barack Obama.
21-Nov-2008 Trade and War in Colombia
"During your historic campaign, you publicly noted some of what Colombians currently face: you acknowledged the murders of trade unionists by the regime and stated your reservations about a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia, which our people have decided against through a democratic referendum. We thank you for this, and now want you to know about the specific situation facing Colombia’s indigenous peoples."
FTA with Colombia favors companies over Colombians
20-Nov-2008 Znet
The US free trade agreement with Colombia is back in the spotlight, after President Bush allegedly conditioned his support for a bailout of the auto industry on the Democrats dropping their opposition to the FTA.
Colombia-US: Will Democrats Bury Free Trade Deal?
12-Nov-2008
Ratification by the United States Congress of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Colombia appears to be further away than ever, due to the victory of president-elect Barack Obama, who has declared his opposition to the treaty, and to the effects of the financial crisis.
Rahm Emanuel Makes the Right Move on Colombia Trade Deal
11-Nov-2008 http://www.alternet.org/story/106426/
This column has expressed plenty of concern about the selection of Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel to serve as President-elect Barack Obama’s chief of staff. Emanuel, whose record and reputation are those of a rigid "New Democrat," was the pointman for the Clinton White House’s free-trade agenda. And, in Congress, he has been a reasonably steady supporter of the Bush administration’s trade policies.
Businesses urge Obama reversal on Colombia deal
6-Nov-2008
A broad U.S. business coalition urged President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday to drop his opposition to a free trade pact with Colombia and work with Congress to approve it and a second agreement with Panama this year.
Colombia ambassador pushes free-trade pact
28-Oct-2008
Colombia’s U.S. ambassador visited Huntsville on Monday to urge support for a U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement and to document her country’s recent success in reducing violence and spurring business growth.
Diaz-Balart courts voters via trade deal
25-Oct-2008
A free trade agreement with Colombia has become a campaign issue in Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart’s bid to hold his seat in the congressional district that represents the largest number of Colombian-American voters in the country.
Uribe agrees to talks with indigenous protesters
24-Oct-2008 IPS
"The police did fire" on indigenous protesters, said Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, who yielded to pressure to meet next Sunday with the leaders of a two-week-long demonstration by native groups.
Colombia: Authorities suppress coverage of indigenous protests
24-Oct-2008 IFEX
At least one person was killed and more than 130 were wounded during indigenous demonstrations last week in several departments in Colombia. But with multiple press freedom violations being committed, you would be hard-pressed to find out what’s going on.
Audio: Indigenous Colombians begin 10,000-strong march against Uribe government
24-Oct-2008 DN!
More than 10,000 indigenous Colombians have begun a protest march against President Alvaro Uribe. Marchers are protesting the militarization of their territories, the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, and the failure of Uribe’s administration to fulfill various accords with the indigenous communities.
Audio: Indigenous march against free trade policies
24-Oct-2008 FSRN
In Colombia, thousands of indigenous people are staging a week long march. Marchers plan to march through 70 miles of Colombia’s countryside. They say they want to change economic policies that are impoverishing their nations. And they reject the presence of US corporations on their lands. Manuel Rueda joined the march as it passed through Colombia’s Cauca Province.
One day strike and Indigenous mobilizations in Colombia
23-Oct-2008 NUPG
In the Cauca region, a twelve-thousand strong Indigenous and Popular Minga (or Assembly) was held in opposition to the militarization of Indigenous, Afro-Colombian and peasant communities/territories. The Assembly also declared it’s firm opposition to the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Canada, U.S. and the European Union.
Colombia’s bad indians’ uprising: meeting with Cauca indigenous
21-Oct-2008 Columbia Reports
On October 13, 12,000 indigenous Colombians marched onto the Pan-American highway in Cauca, and refused to lift their blockade until their demands for land, liberty, and life were met by the state. The resulting clashes between protesters and police killed at least two indigenous Colombians, and wounded at least 70 more. This week the indigenous rights groups will march to Cali, the third-largest city in Colombia, to press their demands.
Afro-Colombian unionists and farmers fight repression
11-Oct-2008 Building Bridges
Audio interview about the struggles of Colombian workers and farmers against repression, violence, militarisation, biofuels and the US-Colombia FTA.
Cauca in Colombia protest free trade and Bush-backed policies
11-Oct-2008 Censored News
We do not accept Free Trade Agreements like the ones negotiated behind closed doors with the United States, Canada, the European Union, the European Association of Free Trade, or any other deal that looks to displace us of our rights, our culture, our knowledge and our territory. We want treaties between peoples, for the people, not treaties of the patrons against the people and against Mother Earth.
Trade agreements: Defending the rights of corporations at the cost of the rights of the people
3-Oct-2008 Latin America Policy and Advocacy
Transcript of a video conference given by Hector Mondragon on an FTA Speakers Tour
Activists disrupt reception for Colombian Prez to protest free trade agreement
25-Sep-2008 indymedia
Two activists from TradeJustice New York City Metro disrupted a Council of the Americas-sponsored reception for Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez to denounce Uribe’s support for a free trade agreement between the US and Colombia that critics believe will exacerbate human rights and environmental catastrophes in the war-torn South American nation.
Free trade agreement: A campaign of deception
25-Sep-2008 Seattle Medium
The recent delegation of Colombians to Capitol Hill, some of whom were Afro-Colombian, advocating for the approval of the US-Colombia FTA, does not represent the view of the majority of Afro-Colombians living in urban and rural areas throughout the country.
What Alvaro Uribe won’t talk about at the United Nations this week (but probably discussed with President Bush over the weekend)
25-Sep-2008 Upside Down World
At a certain level, I must admit, I almost felt sorry for Colombian President Alvaro Uribe last week. His high-profile visit to Washington was unexpectedly shortened because it became readily apparent that members of the US Congress were not really interested in hearing his last ditch effort to get them to approve the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, FTA.
Over 100 activists gather to protest free trade agreement
25-Sep-2008 LACCC
On Friday, September 19, 2008, over 100 activists gathered in front of the National Press Club in Washington, DC to protest the efforts of Colombia’s president Álvaro Uribe to promote the Free Trade Agreement.