Obama to meet with Colombia's Santos on Friday

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Obama to meet with Colombia's Santos on Friday
WASHINGTON | Mon Sep 20, 2010 10:49pm EDT

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama will meet with his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos on the sidelines of the United Nation's General Assembly this week, the White House said on Monday.

The meeting in New York on Friday will be Obama's first with the former Colombian defense and finance minister since Santos won the presidency in June.

Free trade is a key issue between the two nations. Obama has said he is committed to working on outstanding trade pacts with both Colombia and Panama, but he has also emphasized that the deals must be fair to U.S. workers.

White House deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters the meeting would allow Obama to congratulate Santos on his election and "discuss ways we can strengthen our bilateral relationship going forward."


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68J4V820100921

[Judi Lynn]

1. Obama to meet Colombian leader at UN: Santos

Obama to meet Colombian leader at UN: Santos
(AFP) – 10 hours ago

BOGOTA — Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos will Friday meet US leader Barack Obama on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, his office said.

"We will use this meeting to strengthen the alliance between our two countries in addressing issues of common interest and dialogue on future relations," Santos said in a statement released late Monday.

Colombia, the most important US ally in the region, has boosted ties with Washington in recent years, with the approved use of seven of its bases by the US military for anti-drug trafficking operations.

Earlier this month Bogota also got a nod of approval from the State Department for making progress in human rights, as it urged US lawmakers to give the South American country more than 30 million dollars in military aid for fiscal year 2011.

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