Top US trade official confident that Congress will approve Panama deal

A senior US trade official expressed confidence that Congress will approve pending free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama, though he couldn't predict when.

Francisco Sánchez, undersecretary of commerce for international trade, said he believes there is a lot of support in Congress for the deals that were held over from the administration of the former president George W. Bush.

"There are still some issues that cause great concern, particularly to members of Congress," Sánchez said. "I'm very confident--as is the president--that we'll get through them."

Original source: Dow Jones