The issue is basically that we are academics and we have studied the implications of the free trade agreements, and the bottom line is we are better informed than the layman or laywoman on the street and therefore we know, as experts, the most vulnerable sectors that could be impacted by these free trade agreements. I'm not against it. All I'm saying is you have to factor in and weigh in the interests of the producers of food in Colombia. So if you do that, and you provide provisions and safety nets for the producers of food and food security for Colombia, then let it be. That's our role as academics: it's to tell you.
On May 25th, 2010. See this statement in context.