Colombian trade pact could aid Utah exports

But Munoz acknowledges that the trade and economic aspects of the agreement yield few complaints. The holdup with the agreement tends to focus on social or governmental issues, including violence against union leaders in Colombia. A recent letter from seven congressmen to the Canadian Labour Congress called the agreement unacceptable because of the murders of Colombian labor leaders, government corruption issues and other factors.

Munoz said President Alvaro Uribe is cracking down on violence in general and specifically violence against labor leaders. The country, with financial backing from the U.S., also is stepping up the protection of at-risk people.

Munoz believes he will be able to build support for the agreement while in Utah. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is supporting free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, Peru and Korea.

Munoz and others will speak about the Colombian pact from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today at the Salt Lake Chamber in an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber's TradeRoots trade-education program.

Kathleen McInerney, associate manager of TradeRoots, said many legislators understand the positives of the Colombian agreement, but the public does not.

"It's more about educating the public about really what trade means and how it does boost your income," she said. "What you hear are the negative stories. You don't often hear the stories like... small businesses that are really excelling at exporting and how they're able to hire so many more people because of that."

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E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com