Panama conditions free trade accord with Colombia
Friday, January 9, 2015
Panama said it will move forward with a free trade accord with Colombia as long as the South American country eliminates "discriminatory" tariffs on garment and shoe imports from the Colón free trade zone, Panamanian Trade Minister Melitón Arrocha said.
"The climate is not suitable for presenting the accord to lawmakers, and we have decided to exclude it from the Trade Ministry's agenda in the Panamanian parliament," he added.
Arrocha said Colombia maintains its tariffs on the Colón free trade zone, considered to be the second largest in the world after Hong Kong and accounting for 8 percent of the Central American country's gross domestic product.
Full story (in Spanish)