WASHINGTON(February 7, 2005) – Six Catholic bishops from the Andean countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia will be in Washington February 7-9 to share their views about the United States-Andean Free Trade Agreement, which is currently under negotiation and likely to be concluded in the spring.

Specifically, the bishops intend to discuss specifically the impact of trade liberalization on small farmers in the region as they relate to rural displacement, the current conflict and efforts to reduce drug production, how proposals on intellectual property rights might affect access to essential medicines, labor rights, the environment, and the degree of public discussion about and participation in the agreement.

In addition to private meetings with administration and congressional officials, the bishops will be available to the media at two public events on Thursday, February 10:

WHAT	Inter-American Dialogue Breakfast	NGO Forum
WHERE	1211 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, DC	The Mott House 122 Maryland Ave. NE Washington, DC
WHEN	Thur., February 10, 2005 8:30-10:00 a.m.	Thursday, February 10, 2005 2:00-4:00 p.m.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY	Please call for arrangements	Please call for arrangements
CONTACT	David Early 202-541-3200	David Early 202-541-3200

The members of the delegation include Archbishop Pedro Barreto and Bishop Lino Panizza of Peru, Archbishop Jose Mario Ruiz Navas and Bishop Wilson Moncayo Jalil of Ecuador, Bishop Jaime Prieto Amaya of Colombia, and Bishop Luis Morgan Casey of Bolivia. (More complete biographical information is available upon request.)

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