Thursday 16 October 2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Red Alert For
Guanacaste
TLC Approval
Continues On The Slow Track
Costa Rica Opens Trade
Office in Panama
Court Rejects Washed
Lottery Ticket
Escazú Tool Booths
Closed Until May
Maribel Says "It's All
Natural"
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TLC Approval Continues
On The Slow Track
Despite the accusations
against opposition
legislators by Casa
Presidencial, for the
alleged obstacle course
against the approval of
the last law required
for the approval of the
Tratado Libre de
Comercio (TLC) - free
trade agreement with the
United States - the
absence of 15
legislators allied to
the government did not
allow its approval
yesterday.
The legislative session
on Wednesday came to an
early close when by 11
am only 37 legislators
were in the house,
failing to reach a
quorum to discuss the "Ley
de Propiedad Intelectual"
(Intellectual Property
Law).
The law is the last of
the 13 laws that
requires approval before
the TLC can be ratified.
The bill was originally
passed earlier this
year, however, an appeal
to the Sala
Constitucional
(Constitutional Court)
found errors in the
legislation, forcing it
back to the legislative
assembly.
The failure to approve
the law by September 30
forced the government to
ask the United States
and the Central American
partners in the trade
deal, for a second time,
an extension.
Costa Rica was given
until December 31, 2008,
to pass the bill and
ratify the agreement or
be left of the trade
deal which all the other
signatory countries have
ratified and put in
place.
The main opposition to
the bill being passed is
the Partido Acción
Ciudadana (PAC) which
has been a thorn in the
governments efforts to
ratify the TLC.
PAC legislator and head
of the party in the
Legislature, Francisco
Molina, reiterated that
the government should
abide by the Sala order
to consult the
indigenous.
Molina insisted that the
bill will be stalled if
the government insists
on moving ahead with the
modifications that would
remove the rights of the
indigenous to be
consulted.
Rodrigo Arias, ministro
de la Presidencia and
brother of president
Oscar, said in a
statement to the press,
broadcast on local
channel 13, that if the
TLC is not approved the
PAC will be solely to
blame.
Meanwhile indigenous
groups are camping out
in San José to pressure
legislators, seeking the
support of academics,
union leaders and social
organizations, in their
demand that the
government complies with
Convenio 169 de la
Organización
Internacional del
Trabajo (OIT) -
Convention 169 of the
International Labor
Organization (ILO) -
which requires their
consultation of when
approving legislation
that affects or benefits
them. |
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