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Obama, Panamanian President to Meet on Free Trade Agreement

   VOA News  April 28, 2011
   Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, center, flanked by Immigration
   and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton, left, and Customs and
   Border Protection (CBP) Assistant Commissioner Thomas S. Winkowski,
   signs the repatriation agreement to Panama of

Photo: AP

   Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, center, flanked by Immigration
   and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton, left, and Customs and
   Border Protection (CBP) Assistant Commissioner Thomas S. Winkowski,
   signs the repatriation agreement to Panama of 99 pre-Columbian
   artifacts, April 27, 2011, at ICE headquarters in Washington

   U.S. President Barack Obama is meeting with Panamanian President
   Ricardo Martinelli in Washington Thursday to discuss a free trade
   agreement between the two countries.
   Administration officials said last week the decision to move forward on
   the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement came after Panama met a
   series of requirements, including ratifying a tax treaty and reforming
   labor laws.
   U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk has said he is confident lawmakers
   will approve free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South
   Korea.
   Administration officials have not put forward a specific timeline for
   bringing the trade accords to Congress for ratification. But officials
   have said the Panama and South Korea accords are at a stage where the
   process of formulating legislation with Congress can begin.
   President Obama and his Panamanian counterpart are also expected to
   discuss a new regional security initiative.
   U.S. business associations generally support the administration's push
   to complete the three trade agreements. But the head of the largest
   U.S. labor confederation, Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO, recently
   renewed his criticism of the accords, including the Colombia agreement.
   He questioned whether they would help the U.S. economy or do enough to
   protect workers in the countries concerned.
   Although many members of Mr. Obama's Democratic Party support the trade
   deals, some Democrats continue to voice concerns. Maine Democratic
   Representative Mike Michaud has called all three agreements flawed,
   saying he and others in Congress would work to defeat them.

   Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.