The Senate approved the Central American Free Trade Agreement. It postponed the approval of the FTA’s protocols for six months so that the government may have time to renegotiate farm product concessions. Ambassador Maritza Amalia Guerrero, representative of the government before the World Trade Organization, protested the decision. She explains that the agreement clashes with WTO commitments. The first protocol with Central America was that signed with Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala (29 November 1998). Thereafter, protocols were signed with Honduras (4 February 2000) and Nicaragua (13 March 2000). These abstained at the time of the original signing of the agreement alleging heavy losses suffered during Hurricane Mitch in October 1998.
