Defense Secretary Robert Gates continued a visit to Latin American military allies on Thursday with a visit to Colombia. Speaking in Bogotá, Gates voiced support for pushing ahead with the US-Colombian free trade agreement.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates: “I would hope that we would be in a position to make a renewed effort to get ratification of the free trade agreement. I think it is, as we wrote in 2008, it’s a good deal for Colombia. It’s also a very good deal for the United States.”

The trade pact has been held up amidst concerns over human rights violations in Colombia, including the killings of union leaders. President Obama voiced opposition to the pact during his run for office but has since reversed his stance.