Uribe, left, was told by Obama to improve Colombia's human rights record [AFP]

After holding talks with Alvaro Uribe, his Colombian counterpart, Barack Obama said he had instructed Ron Kirk, the US trade representative, to work closely with Bogota on how to proceed with the free trade agreement.

"There are obvious difficulties involved in the process and there remains work to do, but I am confident that ultimately we [will] strike a deal that is good for the people of Colombia and good for the people of the United States," Obama said on Monday.

Obama also said that Uribe had made improvements on human rights in Colombia, but called for more progress on the issue.

"I commended president Uribe on the progress that has been made on human rights in Colombia and dealing with the killings of labour leaders," Obama said.

But "President Uribe acknowledges that there remains more work to be done", he said.

Colombia has tried to get the US congress to ratify a free trade deal that George Bush, Obama’s predecessor, signed in 2006.

The agreement has been held up amid concerns among Democrats, who control congress and now the White House, about Colombia’s human rights record.

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