III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 206 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should immediately 

implement the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 25, 2009 

Mr. JOHANNS (for himself, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. BUNNING, Mr. ROBERTS, 

Mr. MARTINEZ, and Mr. BOND) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Finance 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States 

should immediately implement the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. 

Whereas, since his election in 2002, the President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, has been overwhelmingly successful in 

strengthening the institutions of Colombia, fighting terrorism, improving the economy of Colombia, and extending the authority of the central government, the social 

support network, and security to most of Colombia; 

Whereas, during President Uribe’s term, the economy of Colombia grew at an average rate of more than 5 percent 

per year between 2002 and 2007; 


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•SRES 206 IS 

Whereas, according to the World Bank, the total gross domestic product of Colombia increased from 

$93,000,000,000 in 2002 to $207,800,000,000 in 2007; 

Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative, approximately 10,000,000 people in Colombia have been lifted out of poverty during the past 5 

years; 

Whereas, according to the Ministry of Defense of Colombia, 

between 2002 and 2007, kidnappings in Colombia decreased by 83 percent, murders decreased by 40 percent, 

and terrorist attacks decreased by 76 percent; 

Whereas police are now present in all 1,099 municipalities in 

Colombia, including areas previously held by various 

criminal and terrorist groups; 

Whereas, according to the Department of State, more than 

30,000 paramilitaries have been demobilized and disarmed since 2002; 

Whereas, in July 2008, the security forces of Colombia successfully rescued 15 prisoners held hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), including 

French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt and 3 citizens of 

the United States, Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, and 

Thomas Howes; 

Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative, unemployment in Colombia fell from 16 

percent in 2002 to 9.9 percent in 2007; 

Whereas, partially in recognition of the impressive economic, 

political, and diplomatic advances Colombia has made 

during the past decade, the United States negotiated and 

signed the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion 


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Agreement on November 22, 2006, and a protocol of 

amendment to the Agreement on June 28, 2007; 

Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative, Colombia is currently the 27th largest 

trading partner of the United States with respect to 

goods; 

Whereas, according to the United States International Trade 

Commission, goods valued at $11,400,000,000 were exported from the United States to Colombia in 2008, an 

increase from $3,600,000,000 in 2002; 

Whereas, according to the United States International Trade 

Commission, implementing the United States-Colombia 

Trade Promotion Agreement would boost exports from 

the United States by an estimated $1,100,000,000; 

Whereas, more than 90 percent of exports from Colombia to 

the United States already enter the United States dutyfree under the Andean Trade Preference Act (19 U.S.C. 

3201 et seq.) and the Generalized System of Preferences 

under title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461 

et seq.); 

Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative, more than 80 percent of consumer and 

industrial products exported from the United States to 

Colombia will enter Colombia duty-free as soon as the 

United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement enters into force and all remaining tariffs on such products 

will be eliminated within 10 years after the Agreement 

enters into force; 

Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative, the primary exports from the United 

States to Colombia in 2008 were $2,600,000,000 in maVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:07 Jun 26, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR206.IS SR206

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chinery, $997,000,000 in mineral fuel, $974,000,000 in 

organic chemicals, $969,000,000 in corn and wheat cereals, and $950,000,000 in electrical machinery; 

Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative, Colombia is the 15th largest market for 

farm products exported from the United States, with the 

United States exporting almost $1,700,000,000 worth of 

farm products to Colombia in 2008; 

Whereas, since 2006, the quantity of agricultural products 

exported from the United States to Colombia has increased by approximately 40 percent per year; 

Whereas, according to the Department of Agriculture, 99.9 

percent of agricultural products imported into the United 

States from Colombia enter the United States duty-free, 

but no agricultural products exported from the United 

States to Colombia currently enter Colombia duty-free; 

Whereas, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion 

Agreement would increase sales of agricultural products 

produced in the United States by $910,000,000,000 each 

year; 

Whereas, according to the Department of Agriculture, more 

than half of agricultural products exported from the 

United States to Colombia will enter Colombia duty-free 

as soon as the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion 

Agreement enters into force and all remaining tariffs on 

such products will be phased out over time; 

Whereas the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement will level the playing field for workers, businesses, 

and farmers in the United States by making duty-free 


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treatment a 2-way street between the United States and 

Colombia for the first time; 

Whereas, in the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion 

Agreement, Colombia agreed to exceed commitments 

made by Colombia as a member of the World Trade Organization and to dismantle significant barriers to services and investment from the United States; and 

Whereas, in the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion 

Agreement, the United States and Colombia reaffirm 

their obligations as members of the International Labour 

Organization: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) the Senate— 

3 (A) recognizes the historic successes 

4 achieved by the President of Colombia, Alvaro 

5 Uribe, in rebuilding the Government of Colom6 bia, strengthening the institutions of Colombia, 

7 and solidifying the rule of law in Colombia; 

8 (B) congratulates President Uribe, the 

9 Government of Colombia, and the security 

10 forces of Colombia for significant successes in 

11 fighting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Co12 lombia (FARC); 

13 (C) recognizes the close ties between the 

14 United States and Colombia in the fight against 

15 illicit narcotics, terrorism, and transnational 

16 crime; and 


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1 (D) recognizes that the United States-Co2 lombia Trade Promotion Agreement is enor3 mously advantageous for workers, businesses, 

4 and farmers in the United States, who would be 

5 able to export goods to Colombia duty-free for 

6 the first time; and 

7 (2) it is the sense of that Senate that— 

8 (A) it is in the security, economic, and dip9 lomatic interests of the United States to deepen 

10 the relationship between the United States and 

11 Colombia; and 

12 (B) the United States should implement 

13 the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion 

14 Agreement immediately. 

Æ 


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