President Bush recently urged Congress to pass free-trade agreements (FTAs) with Peru, Colombia, Panama and South Korea. Addressing the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, he said the agreement will benefit workers, farmers and businesses in the U.S. Existing FTAs are already having a positive impact on the U.S. economy, he claimed. "For example, in the four years since we signed a free-trade agreement with Chile, American exports to that country have more than doubled," he said. "And in just one year since we began implementing a free-trade agreement with Central American nations and the Dominican Republic, American exports have grown by 13 percent." The five pending FTAs will expand U.S. access to 75 million new consumers, Bush said. He called the deals "a historic opportunity to strengthen the forces of freedom and democracy throughout the Americas."
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