Carrasquilla Confirms Departure

Colombia’s finance minister, Alberto Carrasquilla, has confirmed that he has resigned, local media report, turning down calls to reconsider his decision by President Alvaro Uribe. Despite news of his departure, the markets seem reassured that a successor will likely continue with his disciplined, market-friendly policies. According to earlier reports, the former minister offered Uribe the names of presidential advisor Oscar Iván Zuluaga and Roberto Steiner, Colombia’s representative at the IMF, as possible replacements. Carrasquilla became finance minister in 2003 but last year signaled his intention to step down for personal reasons.