Senators prod Obama to move free-trade deals for Panama and Colombia

Two senior US senators urged President Barack Obama's administration to begin immediately technical work on legislation to enact long-delayed trade pacts with Colombia and Panama.

"We believe that beginning this process will help remove doubt from our trading partners that Congress and the administration are committed to moving these agreements expeditiously," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Democrat, and Republican Senator Orrin Hatch said.

Both pacts, along with a third agreement with South Korea, have been delayed for a number of years mainly because of opposition from U.S. labor groups.

Original source: Reuters