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CONGRESS, KERRY, COULD KILL CAFTA.

Article Excerpt
Five Central American countries signed the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the US on May 28 in Washington, DC. As a practical matter, the event was without functional significance; the signatures will not put the provisions of the agreement into effect. Significant numbers of dissidents throughout the signatory countries, and at least one presidential candidate, cast doubt that the agreement in its present form would ever become law.

For the deal to come into play in any of the Central American countries, it would first have to be ratified in the legislature of each and in the US Congress. The Bush administration has admitted that proponents are far short of the votes needed to pass CAFTA in the US. It is unlikely that the matter would even come up for a vote before late 2005 or 2006.

If this trade agreement--for which negotiators worked a full year in grandiose negotiating sessions marked by secrecy, unity-shattering rancor among the parties that led some to negotiate separately (see NotiCen, 2004-01-29, 2004-05-20), protest in the popular sectors, and dissention in the private sector--does pass in the US Congress, it could still fail to ever become operative as presently written.

Kerry wouldn't sign it

Democratic presidential candidate...

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