The Senate, the government and representatives of the private sector agreed yesterday to postpone the studying of the protocols of the free trade agreement with Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Congress did not pass the protocols since local producers complained they contain irritating privileges and irregularities. Among these is a 2,000 ton of milk concession to Costa Rica. Hoy newspaper reports that the later was granted by efforts on behalf of former Minister of Industry and Commerce Luis Manuel Bonetti whose companies would benefit from the exceptions. The entire matter is delicate because several of the concessions granted to the Central American nations were done to obtain the Central American vote in favor of the technical rectification whereby several products were excluded from the World Trade Organization free trade orders and to obtain those nations clearance for the presenting of a longer negative list of items that Central America will not be able to export duty free to the DR.
