TLC To Be Before Legislators
Next Week
The fifty-seven legislators of
the Costa Rican Legislative
Assembly are getting ready to
decide on the future of the
Tratado Libre de Comercio (TLC).
The free trade agreement with
the United States is expected to
make it to the floor of the
Legislature next week, where a
majority of 38 deputies will be
required for the trade deal to
be approved.
The Commission of International
Affairs spent the last seven
months to passing the TLC to
make it before the legislators,
which will now begin the public
debate, which are expected to be
as difficult.
Opposition groups have promised
demonstrations to pressure
Legislators to their way of
thinking and vote down the trade
deal that they claim will
destroy Costa Rica.
The Partido Liberación Nacional
(PLN) - the party of Costa Rican
president Oscar Arias -says it
aims to keep its campaign
promises of support for the
agreement and looks forward to
its approval and implementation.
President Arias has said that he
hopes to have the trade deal in
place by as early as February,
reiterating his commitment to
the United States during his
visit with U.S. president George
W. Bush last month at the White
House.
Although only 29 votes are
required to form a majority, it
has been custom for the
Legislature to give majority
approval with 38 Legislator
votes.
The government is confident that
it has the required votes to
pass the trade bill, however,
opposition from the Partido
Acción Ciudadana (PAC) and the
Movimiento Libertatio (ML),
along with some of the smaller
parties, can complicate the
process.
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