Obama, Colombian president discuss trade relations, negotiations with FARC

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon met with US President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday, where he called relations between the two countries "at their best moment ever. "The agenda that we have discussed this morning is much broader than it's ever been," said Santos. "We have gone well beyond the usual items that we used to discuss, like security, like drug trafficking, and we are now expanding into topics like education, energy and mutual cooperation -- what we can do regionally." Santos thanked Obama for his support "in the process towards peace in Colombia." For his part, Obama affirmed the "very strong bilateral ties" between the two countries and said the US will "continue to excel in security cooperation that has helped to facilitate the tremendous progress that's taken place in Colombia over the last decade. "We've seen a 20 percent increase in trade between our two countries," he noted. "That keeps climbing. That creates jobs in Colombia. It creates jobs here in the United States of America." Obama further extended his support to Colombia's bid to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) "because it's reflective of Colombia's rights" and the US "considers Colombia a great friend and a great success. "I emphasized to President Santos that work and the effort that he's made on issues like human rights and labor rights inside of Colombia are not only good for the Colombian people -- and we want to encourage them -- but they also show a path for countries that have in some cases a difficult history, moving forward into a 21st century," he added. The two leaders also discussed efforts by Santos to negotiate with the FARC rebels, who are considered a terrorist group by the Colombian government. "I congratulated President Santos on his bold and brave efforts to bring about a lasting and just peace inside of Colombia," said Obama. "Obviously, this has been a long-standing conflict there are many challenges ahead. But the fact that he has taken this step, I think, is the right one because it sends a signal to the people of Colombia that it is possible to unleash the enormous potential if we can move beyond (it)." Santos stressed that the negotiation process is "going very well. We have been shedding blood for over 50 years," he said. "And the support of the United States, and the entire world, is decisive in reaching that peace we all want."