Speculation about the possible postponement of the starting date for the DR-CAFTA agreement continues around the region. Salvadoran newspaper Diario El Mundo reported on 29 November that according to information published in the Costa Rican and Nicaraguan media, Washington has decided to postpone the treaty for three months because the legal requisites are not yet in place. There is widespread speculation that in December, US President George W. Bush is due to announce that DR-CAFTA will not begin until April 2006. Salvadoran Economy Minister Yolanda de Gavidia said she has no knowledge of this decision and that the government could not consider a change in date without official confirmation from the US. According to Nicaraguan paper El Nuevo Diario and Costa Rican paper Capital Financiero, the official announcement of the date change is to be made on 14 December. The Costa Rican ambassador to the US confirmed to Capital Financiero that the US Trade Representative Robert Portman is considering the date change. According to the media, US officials believe that El Salvador is the only country that is ready to apply DR-CAFTA.