Medellín, March 4 (SP). When he was emphasizing about the progress of the Government in terms of protection of the workers and labour Rights, President Álvaro Uribe asked objectivity from the international community when it comes to analyze that matter, and requested that the country should not be discriminated upon the international agreements.

“We ask objectivity with Colombia from all those who are analyzing us from the international community. The right of Colombians to be respected, not to be discriminated in terms of international trade agreements, regarding to other countries of the region”, the Colombian President said on Thursday, during a discussion group with the students of the University of Medellín.

He pointed out, for example, that when this Government began, Colombia had 853 thousand 944 workers affiliated to trade union organizations, but today –according to trade unions- it has one million 503 thousand 629 trade unionist.

“Those people who permanently object us or those who look at us suspiciously must hear this”, the Head of State said when he was declaring how Colombia was removed from the “black list” of the International Labour Organization (ILO) three years ago, after being in it for seventeen years.

“That is why, if the United States is claiming for respect of labour rights, they can find an answer in this numbers. If the European Union is claiming respect for labour rights, they can find an answer in this numbers”, President Uribe emphasized.

He stressed that this Government, from the first day, has put a great effort in the protection of the lives of the workers and their labor rights.