All preparations for the introduction of the DR-CAFTA agreement need to be completed by mid-December, according to US Trade Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, as reported by Diario Libre. This would allow President George W. Bush to notify the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States and the agreement would become effective 1 January 2006 as planned. This was reported by Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso who met with Gutierrez in El Salvador on Thursday. Morales said that these requirements are applicable to all signatory nations and that if they are not complied with, the agreement would be postponed for the countries that are not ready. Morales stated that the DR has made considerable progress towards meeting these goals.
El Caribe reports that four Central American presidents, and official representatives of Costa Rica and the DR, as well as US Trade Representative Gutierrez, have agreed to make the 1 January 2006 deadline for the treaty a priority.