University professor Federico Cuello denies that he feels the DR would be better off to discontinue the FTA proceedings with the US, as stated in DR1’s summary of his commentary from El Caribe yesterday. “But whether it is justified or not, it is a done deal and all we can do now is to try and improve it before it is ratified by the US Congress,” he writes to clarify. “Contrary to other commentators of this issue, I happen to believe that free trade with the US is irreversible. I hope, nevertheless, that between now and the time it is ratified the contents of the agreement with leave the DR in a less unfair situation,” he states.<\/p>\n
Cuello had criticized the fact that, in order to sign the DR-CAFTA, the country agreed to dock its accord to the ongoing CAFTA negotiations, in which the DR’s representatives were only able to bargain pre-selected items. “They couldn’t change one comma to the text of the agreement,” he lamented. “And they did nothing to dismantle the real barriers that impede us from exporting. They left our farming sector defenseless in return for the US$18 billion in internal aid, subsidized credits and the guarantees granted by the US.”<\/p>\n
Cuello stressed that his commentary sought to demonstrate the contrast between the signing of the World Trade Organization Agreement in 1994 and the DR-CAFTA 10 years after. “Where one was an unavoidable commitment, the other was much sought-after in spite of the fact that a less onerous alternative, the FTAA, is still under construction,” he wrote. To contact Cuello, write to fcuello@aster.com.do<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
University professor Federico Cuello denies that he feels the DR would be better off to discontinue the FTA proceedings with the US, as stated in DR1’s summary of his commentary from El Caribe yesterday. “But whether it is justified or not, it is a done deal and all we can do now is to try … <\/p>\n