WARRENVILLE, IL - While new free trade agreements have generated everything from trepidation to outright hostility, Navistar International Corporation said that it fully supported recently inked agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.

In a statement of support, the holding company, which produces, among other things diesel engines for the pickup truck, van, and SUV markets, argued that they will boost U.S. exports for manufacturers in the United States.

"Global growth has been a key part of our strategy to build on our strong North American truck and engine businesses," said Dee Kapur, truck group president, Navistar, in the company's statement of support. "These agreements will eliminate the import taxes and tariffs applied to our products in Panama and Colombia - regions where our products lead - and create jobs in the U.S. The agreements also contain provisions requiring signatories to promptly address concerns regarding technical barriers to trade. Such arrangements are invaluable at removing impediments to trade that can arise when both parties apply divergent regulatory standards to a single product."