2005News

Summit & CAFTA

Depending on which paper you pick up, the DR-CAFTA summit in Washington, D. C. worked favorably, or not, towards getting the legislation through the United States Congress. The Diario Libre says that the CAFTA agreement the Central American and Dominican Presidents leave Washington in a “favorable environment towards the DR-CAFTA agreement.” The Listin Diario just say that President George W. Bush declared that the DR-CAFTA signifies “stability and security that can only come from freedom.” The US President continued, “With the transformation of our hemisphere into a powerful area of free trade, we will promote democratic government, human rights and economic freedom for everyone.” Hoy newspaper takes a different view, saying that the CAFTA agreement is still at risk. The Listin Diario mentioned that while the President of the United States was talking to reporters, senators Byron Dorgan and Lindsey Graham were telling the Congress that they “would do their best to defeat the measure.”

Bush, speaking at the White House under a light drizzle, told the assembled presidents from Central America and the Dominican Republic that he was grateful for the efforts the different leaders had made to get the bill passed. He promised to join them in their efforts.

Some of the Central American presidents were not totally optimistic, with Antonio Saca from El Salvador saying, “the battle has just begun.”

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050512.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/ask/20050511.html