(prensa.com) Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke indicated that the agreement, “will be ready in a short time, but first will be approval of the agreement with Colombia,” according to the newspaper Washington Trade Daily.
President Ricardo Martinelli has requested a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama to discuss ratification of the treaty.
“We didn’t want to make an appointment before because we thought that it was important to talk with President Obama when ratification was
about to occur,” Martinelli said.
Martinelli said the agreement is important “because it will give more legal guarantees to those who invest in Panama.”
He said the tariff preferences will also mean a reduction in the cost of living.
The agreement has been pending since June 2007.