|
President Pacheco Rejects US
Pressure
Costa Rican president, Abel
Pacheco, who is in Washington
along with the other president
of Central America and the
Dominican Republic, with a
meeting with U.S. president
George W. Bush today, rejected
that he is being pressured by
the U.S. to send the Tratado de
Libre Comercio (TLC) - free
trade agreement with the United
States - to the Legislative
Assembly.
"Here, there is no pressure from
anyone, they have been
respectful of our sovereignty
and our country. We are seven
countries talking", the
president told the Diario
Extra reporter who is
accompanying the president as he
left a meeting with Congressman
Ron Lewis of Kentucky.
Though later, in a press
conference, Pacheco admitted
that there is pressure from all
sides of the argument - those
for and those against the deal.
Pacheco is remaining firm on his
position that the TLC will only
be sent to the Legislature after
the approval of the Plan Fiscal
(Tax Reform) and he plans to
state his position to the U.S.
president when they meet.
"If I am asked when will I send
the TLC to the Legislature, I
will answer it will be when the
moment comes", were the words of
the president at a press
conference at the end of the
day.
The presidents of Nicaragua and
the Dominican Republic were also
reluctant to provide a date when
their respective countries will
approve the TLC.
The meeting is to show support
for the TLC. The Central
American presidents and the
president of the Dominican
Republic have been in the U.S.
since Monday, meeting with
various interest groups and
touring various parts of the
U.S.
As part of the activities
attended to by the Central
American presidents was an act
of protocol as they met with
Ronald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon.
President Pacheco, while meeting
with California Congressman,
David Dreir, got the scare of
his life when, during the
meeting with the Congressman, an
Secret Service agent burst in an
operation to evacuate the
building, when an unidentified
airplane entered the "restricted
airspace" over Washington, which
forced the evacuation of the
White House, Capital Hill and
the Supreme Court buildings.
|
|
