PAC Legislators Commit
Not To Obstruct TLC
Process
The legislative block of
the Partido Acción
Ciudadana (PAC) has
committed itself to not
obstruct the process of
approving the 13
parallel laws the
government needs to pass
before implementing the
Tratado de Libre
Comercio (TLC) - free
trade agreement with the
United States - before
March 1, 2008.
The commitment came
yesterday following a
meeting by PAC
legislators and Costa
Rican president Oscar
Arias and members of his
government at Casa
Presidencial.
Notably missing from the
meeting was PAC party
leader Ottón Solís who
has been a promoter of
the vote against the
approval of the TLC in
last Sunday's referendum
and lost the
presidential elections
to Arias last year.
Solís said he was not at
the meeting because he
was not invited. Solís
said that the invitation
was for the PAC
legislative members and
that it was a good thing
as the government
negotiate directly with
the legislators.
Attending the meeting
were: the ministro de la
Presidencia, Rodrigo
Arias; ministers de
Comercio Exterior, de
Coordinación and
Hacienda, Marco Vinicio
Ruiz, Marco Vargas Díaz
and Guillermo Zúñiga,
respectively;
vice-president Laura
Chinchilla; PLN
legislative diputaties
Mayi Antillón and
Gilberto Jerez; anb the
viceministro de la
Presidencia, Roberto
Thompson. For the PAC,
Elizabeth Fonseca, head
of the group and Rafael
Elías Madrigal.
Fonseca was clear and
sincere in that they
cannot be asked to vote
for what they do not
believe in, but will not
hamper the process.
"For us it was clear
that Sunday's referendum
vote implies a direct
approval of the agenda
and it would be a
mockery if the agenda is
not approved since a
majority fo the people
said yes to the TLC",
said Arias.
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