Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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June 29, 2009

Obama to Meet with Colombian President
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=250E149:A6F02AD83191E160DA117FB3D870F2CDC030207A0BD70133&
 
Presidents Uribe, Obama to discuss trade, drug war, repercussions of
Honduras political crisis 
Colombian Pres. Alvaro Uribe (R) and US Pres. Barack Obama at the Summit
of the Americas in Port of Spain on 18 Apr 2009U.S. President Barack
Obama welcomes Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to the White House
Monday for talks expected to cover trade, the drug war and the political
situation in Honduras. The Monday meeting comes a day after the
president of Honduras, Jose Manuel Zelaya, was ousted from power. Mr.
Obama and Mr. Uribe are likely to discuss the repercussions of the
crisis and the impact of the situation on neighboring Latin American
countries. The White House has said the two presidents will also discuss
the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement and security gains in Colombia,
where the government has been engaged for decades in a war involving
leftist rebels and rightist paramilitaries. Many U.S. Democrats,
including President Obama, have said they oppose the free trade
agreement because of Colombia's often-criticized record on human rights
and violence against labor activists. In May, U.S. Trade Representative
Ron Kirk said the United States is working to resolve differences on the
agreement. President Uribe has said the trade deal will make his fight
against terrorism less difficult, by increasing investment in the
country and giving people more opportunity to find high-quality jobs.
Colombia has received billions of dollars from the United States --
mostly in military aid -- since President Uribe has been in office.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.


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