No to Re-Negotiation of CAFTA
The possibility that Costa Rica re-negotiate the Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), as has been suggested by the opposition Citizen Action Party (PAC in Spanish), is not an option for the Government, according to Minister of Foreign Trade Manuel Gonzalez.

This was stated in a private debate between Ministry of Foreign Trade officials and PAC presidential candidate Otton Solis, which was also attended by President Abel Pacheco, PAC congresswomen Epsy Campbell and Ruth Montoya, and several technical advisors.

Solis presented President Pacheco with a document containing 11 items - only three of them were discussed - that, according to the PAC leader, point to the fact that the CAFTA has to be re-negotiated.

Minister Gonzalez asserted that a re-negotiation is not feasible, and pointed out that El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala have already approved the text, and that in the U.S. there are hints that it will soon be discussed in Congress.

Solis said that at least he had made officials of the Ministry of Foreign Trade admit that the CAFTA will be negative for several groups, particularly farmers.