Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said Tuesday the U.S. government has shown "full disposition" to temporarily suspend its 12.5% tariff on Colombian products, following a telephone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio that de la Espriella described as "very fruitful."
De la Espriella dispatched Commerce Minister Mauricio Gómez to Washington to lead negotiations on the tariff relief, which Bogotá first requested last Saturday after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck central and western Colombia on August 10. U.S. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed the Rubio call.
The quake left at least 289 dead and 4,187 injured, with the Institute of Legal Medicine reporting 304 bodies received. The U.S. has provided $26.5 million in emergency humanitarian assistance, along with search-and-rescue teams and C-130 transport aircraft to support recovery efforts.