Pacheco Will Leave the TLC For the Next President
The ratification of the Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) - the Free Trade Agreement with the United States - will not go to the Costa Rican Legislature during the current session if President Abel Pacheco has his way.

A source close to the negotiations group for the TLC told the Spanish language daily newspaper Diario Extra that the President has received a lot of pressure not to send the TLC to Congress, who ultimately have the final word on the deal.

The source said that the Pacheco has assured that he will leave the TLC to the incoming president who will be elected on the first Sunday in February of 2006.

A few months back, the President announced the formation of a "Junta de Notables" who would be charged with studying the TLC agreement and make a report if the free trade deal is convenient for the interests of the country.

The "Notables" group is headed by astronaut Franklin Chang Díaz, who this week retired after 25 years at NASA and is being wooed by presidential candidate Oscar Arias for the vice presidential spot in the next government; former diplomat Alvar Antillón; the executive director of INBio, Rodrigo Gámez; Catholic church priets, Guido Villalta; and the former director of the Universidad de Costa Rica Gabriel Macaya Trejos.

The group has yet to meet waiting on Chang's return to Costa Rica.

President Pacheco has said over and over that, depending on the report by the "notables", he will be the one to decide if the TLC goes to Congress or not.

A group of business leaders "Por Costa Rica" have been calling on the President on many occasions the necessity of the approval of the TLC by Congress and the benefits that it will have for Costa Rica. Television and radio commercials have been promoting that the TLC is good for the country, will create more jobs and a better way of life with increased foreign and national investment as a direct result of the trade pact.

However, a number of political parties and many union leaders oppose the trade deal, claiming it will increase poverty and see the disappearance of small and medium sized national producers. For it's part, the Catholic Church is ready to give it's approval if and when the government approves a number of projects that will protect producers who feel they will be hurt by the deal.

In a recent round table discussion called by the "Movimiento Solibarista" - a union group - most of the presidential candidates showed consent to the approval of the trade deal. The only politician who showed his opposition was ADN candidate José Miguel Villalobos.