Foreign Trade Minister
Says There Should Be No
Extension On The TLC
The ministro de Comercio
Exterior (foreign trade
minister), Marco Vinicio
Ruiz, said yesterday he
will do all he can to
avoid have to asked the
United States for an
extention to the Tratado
de Libre Comercio (TLC)
- free trade agreement
with the United States.
Last week the Sala
Constitucional
(Constitutional COurt)
rejected the only
"parallel" law remaining
to be approved before
the trade deal can go
into force on October 1.
The Court said that the
law passed by
legislators contained
constitutional errors,
appeasing many of the
opponents to the trade
deal, and sent it back
to the Legislative
Assembly.
Now the government has
to the choice to try to
push through the bill
before the October 1
deadline or ask the US
for another extension.
"As far as I am
concerned there should
be no extension, we have
to resolve it here by
September 30. At least
that is my hope, as
there are commitments
and our international
image to consider", said
Ruiz.
Ruiz added that if there
is no other option but
to ask for an extension,
that it be the shortest
possible.
Last week Riuz, not only
unhappy with the Court
decision, criticized the
Court for the time it is
taking to send the
document text to the
Legislature.
"Hopefully we will have
the vote today
(Tuesday). I would have
liked it on Friday so
that we could have been
already negotiating",
said Ruiz.
For his part, Francisco
Antonio Pacheco, said he
has to know see the
Court document that
details the Court's
finding on the errors in
the law before a
solution can be worked
out. "The process should
be short", added
Pacheco.
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