Protest March A Success, Organizers Say
Tens of thousands of public workers, students, teachers, nurses and others opposed to the Tratado Libre de Comercio (TLC) - the free trade agreement with the United States marched in Costa Rica's capital on Monday.

Although organizers had expected between 50.000 and 100.000 protestors, the number fell short of that goal. Between 20.000 and 25.000 protestors took part in yesterdays march.

The protesters, part of a coalition of the various trade unions, environmental and community groups, said the march was a show of strength to be followed by a nationwide strike.

While the deal remains bogged down in Congress, those opposed to the TLC want to pressure legislators to vote against the trade deal and yesterday, they say, was a show of what is to come if their voice is not heard.

Speeches in front of the Legislative Assembly building began shortly after 2:00pm, and included the words of legislative deputies and former president  Rodrigo Carazo, who said that the approval of the TLC is not politically convenient for the country

All 17 of the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) deputies, along with PAC party leader and former presidential candidate, Ottón Solís, were among the protestors, as well as Mariano Figueres, ex-militant member of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) - ruling party - and son of the "father" of Costa Rica, José Maria Figueres or Don Pepe as he known to Costa Ricans, said he hopes the show of strength is enough for president Arias to withdraw the trade deal from the legislature. "I don't how far they are willing to go to push the people to take unnecessary actions", said Figueres.

Costa Rica is the only participant of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, CAFTA, not to have ratified the deal.

The Ministro de la Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias, brother of president Oscar Arias, said yesterday that the trade deal will go on as planned and is expected to pass with the 38 votes, and that the protestors yesterday only represent a small number of Costa Ricans, where more than 65% of the people are in favour of the TLC.

Though the major force of the protest centred in San José, smaller protests also took place across Costa Rica.

Albino Vargas, general secretary of the Asociación Nacional de Educadores Públicos (ANEP) -  National Association of Public Educators - conceded the march would not stop the passage of the deal when Congress finally votes on it.

The treaty would create a free-trade zone between the United States and Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Though the Arias government has been telling the people that TLC would allow Costa Rica the "openess" it requires to compete in the world markers, some worry the trade deal will lead to the privatization of the state-run telephone company and hurt the social security system.

In the United States, the measure only barely passed Congress in 2005 in the face of strong opposition from lawmakers and unions who feared the pact would lead to job losses there.

The question now is what comes next. Opposition to the TLC said yesterday that a "national strike" is the the possible next step in their action to derail the TLC approval.