Free Republic

The Bush administration's free-trade agreement with Central America would cost taxpayers $50 million a year in loan forfeitures by sugar farmers, the Congressional Budget Office says. An administration official said Thursday that the analysis was unrealistic and that there would be virtually no cost under sugar provisions in the deal. The CBO released its estimate as House leaders planned for a vote next week on the Central America Free Trade Agreement. It would remove or lower trade barriers with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and he Dominican Republic. Overall, CAFTA would cost the U.S. about $4.4 billion over...

Gov. Jeb Bush Wednesday morning welcomed trade representatives from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the United States as they gathered in Miami to negotiate the 11th round of the U.S.-Andean Free Trade Agreement. Nearly 1,000 delegates from throughout the Andean Region and the United States are to take part in the weeklong activities, expected to last through July 22. The Greater Miami Visitors and Conventions Bureau estimated the economic impact of the meeting at $1.5 million. The city has known it would host the event since it was chosen for the honor during the Miami Free Trade Area of the Americas...

Congress will soon take up the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which many see as an extension of NAFTA and a precursor to the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas that would convert all of North and South America into one integrated market. Opinions about CAFTA's impact on the regional economy vary widely among members of Congress based largely on what the agreement will do for their constituents. But in the rush to highlight who wins and who loses when these trade barriers come down, almost everyone has overlooked the troubling non-trade provisions that are tucked into the voluminous...

U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA) today called on fellow House Members to closely examine the system of settling all trade and immigration disputes under CAFTA, as a violation of American legal principles and a kangaroo court system stacked against the United States. In the event that Central American governments' understanding of CAFTA immigration provisions are different than what the Bush Administration is now telling Congress, it would be an international tribunal set up under CAFTA and staffed by a panel of three "judges" that would settle the dispute. CAFTA rules under Article 20.9 dictate that the tribunal consists of two...

The Labor Department kept secret for more than a year government studies that supported Democratic opponents of the Bush administration's new Central American trade deal, internal documents show. The studies, paid for by the department, concluded that several countries the administration wants to be granted free-trade status have poor working conditions and fail to protect workers' rights. The agency dismissed the conclusions as inaccurate and biased, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press. "In practice, labor laws on the books in Central America are not sufficient to deter employers from violations, as actual sanctions for violations of the law...

A Senate committee on Wednesday approved a trade agreement with Latin American nations, moving Congress a step closer to a decision on an accord that may have minimal effects on the U.S. economy but is of considerable political import to the Bush administration. The Finance Committee approved the agreement by a voice vote, although it was closely divided on the issue. The bill now goes to the full Senate for a vote as early as this week. Passage in the Senate, traditionally more sympathetic to trade agreements, could give the measure some momentum in the House, where there is stiffer...

IDB YOUTH TO HOLD VIRTUAL FORUM ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP DURING MAY IN PREPARATION FOR FOURTH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS Young Entrepreneurs of the Americas: Forum for the Participation of Civil Society The Inter-American Development Bank will hold a series of virtual forums May 2-27 to promote a wide dialogue on the concerns of young entrepreneurs and business people have related to employment in Latin America and the Caribbean.All young people who would like to discuss and make recommendations on employment, competitiveness, business environments, education, technology, leadership, good citizenship, and democracy are welcome to participate. Members of the IDB Youth Network can...

MIAMI -- The first regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States on U.S. soil in 30 years is occurring during a time of turmoil for the organization. It's not likely to be helped by a frosty welcome from its hosts. The city of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is suddenly displaying a cold shoulder, and some officials are regretting the invitation to the OAS. It's yet another problem for the organization, which is struggling to select its leader and at the same time is involved in a number of squabbles throughout the hemisphere. Fort Lauderdale is spending...

Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista urged integration between the United States and Mexico during a talk Thursday at the University of Texas-Pan American. The 500-seat Student Union Theater was nearly full as Derbez spoke about the importance of promoting a symbiotic relationship between the two countries in order to bring security and prosperity to both sides of the border. Derbez is a leading contender to head the Organization of American States, which is made up of 34 countries to promote democracy and regional cooperation. "We are integrating," he said, citing the growing Mexican-American communities in the...

The federal government has laid out a sweeping new plan for its Armed Forces, promising a better-equipped, more efficient and more effective military at home and abroad - all within five years. "Today's front lines stretch from the streets of Kabul to the rail lines of Madrid to our own Canadian cities," says a 32-page defence policy statement released Tuesday. "Global terrorism has become a deadly adversary and Canadians are now, in some ways, more individually threatened than at any time during the Cold War." The document promises to effectively double Canada's overseas capability, forge a stronger continental defence with...

An opposition party that is helping to keep Canada's minority Liberal government in power angrily accused Prime Minister Paul Martin on Tuesday of planning to push an agenda of closer integration with the United States. Martin is due to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) and Mexican President Vincente Fox in Texas on Wednesday for talks that will include discussions on how to improve the North American Free Trade Agreement. Canadian officials say they want to eliminate "nuisance tariffs" among the three partners and harmonize some continental business regulations. But the idea of any deeper...

President Bush will try to ease tensions over trade and immigration at a summit Wednesday with the leaders of Canada and Mexico that is expected to focus on strengthening security and economic ties. The meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and Mexican President Vicente Fox is expected to produce a plan for improving North American economic competitiveness in a global environment seeing the rise of China and India and the expansion of the European Union, analysts said. The United States is pressing for stronger security measures, Mexico is seeking a promise on immigration issues and Canada is hoping for...

CARACAS, Mar 3 (IPS) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez called for the creation of a debtor nations' club, the adoption of a Social Charter by the Organisation of American States (OAS), and the forging of a new socialist model for the 21st century during the 4th Social Debt Summit in Caracas. ”We must abandon the capitalist model of development, because it is incapable of serving as a framework to overcome the drama of poverty and inequality,” said Chávez, a former lieutenant-colonel now heading a ”Bolivarian Revolution” of peaceful political and social transformations (named for Simon Bolívar, the founding father of...