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Thousands Protest Trade Pact in
Guatemala
About
8,000 protesters — most of them
teachers — demonstrated Tuesday
in the capital against a pending
free-trade agreement between
Central America and the United
States.
The protesters want a public
referendum held before the
Guatemalan Congress ratifies the
Central American Free Trade
Agreement — an idea already
ruled out by President Oscar
Berger.
Along with the United States,
countries that have signed the
free-trade agreement include
Guatemala, El Salvador (news -
web sites), Honduras, Nicaragua,
Costa Rica and the Dominican
Republic.
"The congressmen are making
unilateral and crazy decisions
behind the Guatemalan people's
back," said teachers union
leader Joviel Acevedo.
CAFTA also faces difficulties in
the United States. President
Bush (news - web sites) has said
the accord would open new
markets for the U.S. while
encouraging economic and
democratic reforms in Central
America, but he didn't have the
votes in 2004. He may not have
support this year either because
of competition fears among U.S.
sugar and textile producers.
Guatemala's Congress plans to
take up the concessions law this
week, while the legislature's
foreign trade commission
indicated that it could approve
CAFTA as early as Thursday, the
last step before it goes to the
full Congress for a vote.
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