FTAA : Free Trade Agreement of the Americas

American Agriculture would ruin Colombia
And Flame Agrarian Conflicts in the whole of Latin America





Dear American Friends :




Nothing equals the power of American Agriculture : Efficiency, Technology, Science, Automation, Computers, Transgenics, Discipline, Organization, Satellites, Robots, Subsidies of US $ 100 per ton of agricultural products, etc ...

And there is a Free Trade Agreement soon to be signed between the USA and the Andean Countries. Probably in September or October of 2005.



The AFTA : Andean Free Trade Agreement. This leads to the FTAA.


Today this pact is 100% skewed and biased against Colombia.

AGRICULTURE : Colombia gave everything. The USA gives nothing. ( As it stands today )

And the pact says that Colombia will have to receive ALMOST ALL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS from the USA almost immediately and without quotas.

Whereas ALMOST ALL Colombian Agricultural Products are going to be subjected to U. S. Customs duties and long periods of time to reduce import taxes.

And there are a lot of artifical barriers and obstacles against Colombian Agriculture. U. S. Inspections are very whimsical and full of fancy caprices ( as we have seen in the past ) .... A little worm in a guava and all Colombian guavas are forbidden forever. This has no reciprocity, U. S. agricultural products can not be discussed or rejected here.

This is very grave for Colombia as it stands today.

Millions of poor peasants will become beggars in the City Streets and that would add to the Agrarian conflict.

And lots of Ruined and Poor Colombians would like to enter the USA Legally or Illegally. Expect a Tsunami of Economic Refugees.

America would destroy her best ally in South America. The only one that always approves what the USA does.





Is this good ??
( As it stands today on August 22 of 2002 )



Is this good for American Power and American Foreign Policy. Is this a good example of the Virtues of America ??? ... Is this a good neighbor ???

These are not matters of Nationalism, Chauvinism, Jingoism, Supremacism or Xenophobia. These are matters of COMMON SENSE.


Thanks for your kindness and sharing of your ideas.



Vicente Duque