Washington - US President George W Bush pledged to move forward on the ratification of a free-trade agreement with Panama Tuesday despite congressional opposition.

Bush said after a meeting with Panamanian President Martin Torrijos: "I assured him that we will do everything in our capacity to move the trade bills - not only the Panamanian bill, but the Colombian bill and the (South) Korean bill."

The United States and Panama signed a free-trade agreement in July 2007, but it has been held up over White House insistence that Congress first take up the Colombian free-trade deal, which was inked earlier.

The Democrat-controlled Congress has blocked the deal with Colombia because of violence against trade unions in the country and a demand to address concerns that the deal could cost jobs in the United States. (dpa)