Cornyn pushes for Colombia trade agreement

Sen. John Cornyn has joined with senate Republicans and Hispanic business leaders in a push to persuade the House to ratify a free-trade agreement between Colombia and the United States.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has blocked the agreement, changing the House's rule that after the White House has passed along a trade bill, it must be considered within 90 legislative days.

According to Cornyn, Texas has a special stake in the agreement because the state sells $2.3 billion in produce and goods to Colombia annually.

"Colombia is one of our closest allies in South America, and, of course is a neighbor to Hugo Chavez in Venezuela," Cornyn said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday.

"Colombians under President Uribe have been fighting a heroic fight with American assistance and training against the narco-traffickers and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) in that country. It would be ironic indeed if America would turn its back and Congress would turn its back on one of our best friends there."

According to Cornyn, failing to ratify the bill would paint the United States as an unreliably ally.

"That's not the message we need. We need more friends, more engagements in Latin America which is, of course, in our backyard."

Human rights groups, citing the assassinations of more than trade unionists already this year, have joined with House Democrats in stalling the bill.