DOMINICAN PRESIDENT TELLS CONG. WELLER HE'S

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 004533

SIPDIS

DEPT PASS USTR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: DR ETRD OREP PGOV
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN PRESIDENT TELLS CONG. WELLER HE'S
CONFIDENT ON FREE TRADE AGREEMENT


1. SUMMARY. Dominican President Mejia told U.S. Congressmen
visiting Aug 20-24 that prospects are &fine8 for a
bilateral free trade agreement. Hosted by the Dominican
private sector, Cong. Weller (R-Illinois),Cong. Brown
(R-South Carolina) and Republican staffers stressed the need
to address U.S. concerns on intellectual property rights and
agriculture. END SUMMARY.


2. Congressional Representative Jerry Weller (R-Illinois)
headed a non-official visit to the Dominican Republic August
20 ) 24 to meet private sector enterprises and government
representatives to discuss the prospective free trade
agreement (FTA) with the United States. Also visiting were
Representative Henry E. Brown (R-South Carolina),staffers
representing Republican U.S. Representatives Hastert of IL,
Brady of TX, and Blunt of MO, Margarita Cepeda of the
Dominican American National Roundtable, and Carlos Gonzalez,
New Hampshire State Representative.


3. During events with the American Chamber of Commerce and
with a group of Dominican bankers Cong. Weller expressed
strong support for a US-Dominican FTA. He urged business
participants to work with the GODR and to seek support for
the FTA among the business community. Though both groups
were generally very positive toward the prospective FTA, some
participants expressed concern that the GODR might not be
able to achieve an agreement sufficiently tailored to the
country,s needs. A former Ambassador to the United States
remarked privately that there was insufficient time for the
local private sector to assess the impact of a FTA on
specific sectors. The Dominicans expressed concern that
elections in both countries might delay the agreement.


4. AmCham members responded enthusiastically to Weller,s
suggestion to assess the impact of the agreement on their
local operations and to inform U.S. Congressional leaders
when their districts had the prospect of increasing exports
to the Dominican Republic.

SESSION WITH THE PRESIDENT


5. Dominican President Hipolito Mejia and members of his
administration welcomed Weller and the delegation during a
breakfast meeting August 22. The Congressman thanked the
GODR for its support for the U.S. on the Middle East Road
Map, the liberation of Iraq, counter-narcotic efforts, and
the importance of free trade. Weller said a FTA would
further strengthen political and economic relationships
between the United States and the region. He acknowledged
particular sensitivities, including agricultural issues and
intellectual property rights (IPR). Cong. Brown (R-SC)
admonished participants that many jobs were moving from Latin
America to China and that only by acting together could FTA
partners prosper. At the end of the breakfast, when Brown
asked President Mejia if there was anything he would like to
ask of the delegation, the President responded with a
confident, &No! Everything is fine.8


6. During the delegation,s visit to the Caribbean
Industrial Park in Santiago, Carlos Alvarez, President of the
Santiago Free Zone Association warned of dramatic negative
results if an FTA were not reached before agricultural quotas
are eliminated by WTO members. Cong. Weller again stressed
his strong support for a FTA and reiterated his concerns
about IPR. He urged the Dominican private sector and the
GODR to stay focused.


7. COMMENT. Overall, the congressional delegation visit
went smoothly. The sponsors met their objectives of showing
the U.S. representatives the Dominican dedication to
negotiating a free trade agreement, the advanced economic
relationship that already exists, further economic prospects,
and areas of concern for the negotiations. END COMMENT.

KUBISKE