TLC Commission Session Stalled, Again
For the second time this month the legislative deputies that make up the Comisión de Asuntos Internacionales y Comercio Exterior that is studying the free trade agreement with the United States - the Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) - could not hold session due to lack of forming a quorum.

The situation upset the members who did show up so that they have are now calling for action.

Present at the beginning of the morning session that began at 8:5am were, four deputies from the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), while three the members of the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC), one from the the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) and from the Movimiento Libertario (PML), did not arrive on time to form the required quorum of five legislators.

The legislators who are from the same party forming the current government decided however to meet with representatives of the Cámara de Textileros de Costa Rica - textile group - who fully are in support of the TLC.

On the opposite end of the trade deal are the "arroceros" or rice growers who feel that the TLC was badly negotiated and negatively affected the local rice market, an important part of the basic food basket. Oscar Campos, president of the Corporación Arrocera Nacional (Conarroz), was anxious to face the legislative commission with his position rather than a meeting some legislators as occurred yesterday.

"We want an audience to expose the official position of the rice growers", said Campos, upset that the Commission did not hold session yesterday.

Defending the PAC's position, the party said there was an error in protocol as deputy Alberto Salom was to substitute PAC Commission member Elizabeth Fonseca. However, the substitution was not effective since Salom did not have the proper document signed by the president of the Legislature from Tuesday's session.

The president of the Commission, Janina Del Vecchio, said that there had been an error and that though Salom was present with the other four commission members, a quorum could not be formed and no session could be held.

In the face of criticism, PAC deputy, Rónald Solís, assures that there was no intention to any disruption in the Commission's work. Solís, also a Commission member, said that neither the PAC, nor the libertarians or socialcristianos are boycotting the Commission and that he, for his part, simply could not make it on time.