U.S. lawmaker plans quick action on Peru trade pact [View All]

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Reuters

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said on Tuesday he would move quickly to win approval of a free trade agreement with Peru that has been stalled in Congress since last year.

"I expect it to pass without too much difficulty," the Montana Democrat told reporters after leaving a hearing to examine revamped labor and environmental provisions of the trade pact. "We're going to move expeditiously."

The Bush administration hopes Senate action will prod the House of Representatives into following suit -- breaking a logjam that has held up the trade agreement since Democrats won control of Congress last year.

Although House Democrats negotiated an agreement with the Bush administration to strengthen labor and environmental provisions of trade agreements with Peru, Colombia, Panama and South Korea, they have been slow to begin legislative action on the trade pacts.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1143692620070911