As Guatemala Enters CAFTA, U.S. Coalition Calls for a New Trade Model

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 30, 2006

CONTACT:
STOP CAFTA COALITION http://www.stopcafta.org
Andrew de Sousa, Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala
202-518-7638; nisgua [at] igc.org
Tom Ricker, Quixote Center 301-699-0042; tomr [at] quixote.org


As Guatemala Enters CAFTA, U.S. Coalition Calls for a New Trade Model

WASHINGTON – June 30 - As the Dominican Republic - Central America Free
Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is anticipated to be implemented tomorrow with
Guatemala, a coalition of U.S. organizations denounces the Bush
Administration’s strong arm tactics to force implementation and calls on
Congressional candidates to promote positive trade agreements by taking
the Pledge for Trade Justice.

“Unfortunately, politicians in Guatemala have followed the example of El
Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, by allowing pressure from the U.S.
administration and their business allies to override the best interests
of their own people,” said Andrew de Sousa of the Network in Solidarity
with the People of Guatemala.

"The Central American people continue to remind their governments that
the free trade agenda has failed them, and we will continue to remind
our Congress of the same,” said Tara Carr-Lemke of the Share Foundation.
Last July, the House of Representatives leadership broke congressional
rules to pass CAFTA by just one vote, the closest trade vote in U.S.
history.

The U.S. administration put increasing pressure on the Guatemalan
government to rewrite laws before allowing the agreement to be
implemented, including a visit by U.S. Ambassador James Derham to the
Guatemalan Congress. “Many of the demands being made, including further
restrictions on access to affordable generic medicine, went above and
beyond conditions laid out in the original agreement,” said Carrie
Stengel of the Guatemala Human Rights Commission.

Experts believe CAFTA will put Central American farmers at a huge
disadvantage to heavily subsidized U.S. agricultural products. There is
also concern that the agreement weakens the protections in existing
agreements for industrial workers and organized labor. A wide coalition
of U.S. groups have written a Pledge for Trade Justice and are now
demanding candidates for upcoming November elections promise to uphold
the Pledge if elected to office. A background on the Pledge can be found
at: http://www.cispes.org/cafta/Pledge_background_final.doc

“Through NAFTA and CAFTA, Congress has shown us that business as usual
isn’t working for the people. We are asking them to take a new approach
to trade negotiations that would put the people’s interests first, as
outlined in the Pledge for Trade Justice” said Tom Ricker of the Quixote
Center.

“We will continue to resist alongside the people of Central America in
saying no to the implementation of CAFTA, and in calling for no more
CAFTA’s in the hemisphere or anywhere else” said Burke Stansbury of the
Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador.

CAFTA has been widely opposed throughout Central America since
negotiations first began in 2001. When the Guatemalan Congress ratified
the agreement in March 2005, polls showed that a clear majority of
Guatemalans were opposed. The process was marred by violence, including
the death of two protestors.

CAFTA was already enacted in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua earlier
this year. The Dominican Republic has ratified the agreement but has not
been approved for enactment by the USTR, while Costa Rica is the only
signatory country to not have ratified CAFTA.

The Stop CAFTA Coalition is a network of solidarity organizations in the
United States that has worked in coordination with partners in Central
America to oppose CAFTA since its inception in 2002.

http://www.stopcafta.org