Colombia, Cuba agree to discuss trade talks
The Associated Press
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Colombia, Cuba Agree to Discuss Trade Talks
By JOSHUA GOODMAN
BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia and Cuba may seem strange bedfellows but the stalwart U.S. ally and its oldest adversary in Latin America are put aside their differences Wednesday to negotiate a trade deal.
The two countries agreed to talks aimed at removing trade barriers and extending preferential tariffs, Colombia’s government said in a statement.
In pursuing a trade deal with Cuba, President Alvaro Uribe, a free market advocate, showed more concerned about economics than about supporting Washington’s desire to isolate the communist island.
Though Uribe, a staunch supporter of the United States’ war on terrorism, and his Cuban counterpart Fidel Castro disagree on politics, the two outspoken statesmen appear to have a cordial relationship.
At the request of Uribe, Cuba has played host to two rounds of exploratory peace talks between the Colombian government and the country’s second-largest rebel group, the National Liberation Army, known by its Spanish acronym ELN. A third round with the leftist rebels is scheduled later this month.
In gratitude for Cuba’s mediation, Colombian foreign minister Carolina Barco, meeting with Castro in Havana last week, invited him to visit Bogota.
The talks with Cuba will be similar to free trade discussions Colombia recently launched with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. In February, Colombia signed a landmark free trade agreement with the United States.
Commerce between Colombia and Cuba is barely in an infant state and represents less than one percent of each country’s current exports.
Uribe also enjoys friendly relations with leftist Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. Last year the two leaders agreed to jointly construct a $300 million underwater natural gas pipeline between the countries.
