Legislators To Work
Overtime To Approve
SUTEL Board
The country's
legislators may be
working overtime if they
cannot get two of the
four candidates that
will comprise the la
Superintendencia de
Telecomunicaciones (SUTEL)
- new telecommunications
superintendancy.
Legislators have already
approved two members,
two more are required so
that the government can
ratify the free trade
deal with the United
states before the
December 31 deadline.
Legislators are set to
go on their holiday
break at the end of
session today and return
on January 5. However,
if the two SUTEL members
are not approved,
legislative sessions
will be also held on
Monday, December 22.
A number of legislators
are in favour of getting
approved Mary Ileana
Méndez and Walter
Herrera following
nominations from the
Autoridad Reguladora de
los Servicios Públicos (ARESEP).
Costa Rica has until
December 31 to deposit
the ratified Tratado de
Libre Comercio (TLC) -
Central America Free
Trade Agreement (CAFTA)
- document with the
Organization of American
States (OAS) to enter
into the trade pact with
the US and its Central
American neighbours.
Costa Rica is the only
country that has not
ratified its deal, while
the other countries -
Nicaragua, Honduras,
Guatemala, El Salvador
and the Dominican
Republic - have their
respective trade deals
in place for more than a
year. Costa Rica is the
only country to have to
ask for an extension on
two separate occasions.
Some legislators feel
that the failure to name
the four member SUTEL
board does not
jeopardize the trade
deal, while opponents to
the TLC are using this
point as one last stand
to derail a trade
agreement that has been
in discussion for four
years and required a
public referendum to get
it approved. |
