Peru deal to be done in 3 weeks, says Peru's president; pledges to not renegotiate

The Peruvian press is reporting President Alan Garcia - who was just in DC for meetings with the Bush administration and Congress - as saying:

"It seems to me that in the next three weeks, there will be a formal agreement between the two main parties, and with that, we'll have an outline of what we will have to discuss before the congressional vote," said the head of state. Garcia expressed his conviction that the pact will have a "green light."

Garcia additionally said that he might be willing to change Peru's labor laws, but "not by revising or re-opening the FTA because that would postpone the ratification by four to five years."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, after meeting with Garcia, said of the FTA: "The changes to reflect Democrats' preocupations will be crucial if you want to get many Democrats to support the pact."