MEDIA REACTION ON CAFTA, JUNE 4, 2003

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001273

SIPDIS

FOR PD/WHA (MBUCKLEY); IIP/G/WHA DIPASQUALE; EB/EPPD DCLUNE;
USTR AGASH
INFO IIP/T/ES
EMBASSIES FOR PAOS, IOs,

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KPAO HO PA ETRD USTR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON CAFTA, JUNE 4, 2003



1. Editorial on liberal daily "La Tribuna", Tegucigalpa
based 6/4 entitled: "Obstacles for CAFTA". "The CAFTA, which
is being negotiated by five Central American countries and
the United States, is progressively facing more and more
obstacles and disagreements from various social sectors all
over Central America. They believe their interests and
proposals are not being considered in the negotiations, even
though the governments involved in this process have
facilitated the participation of entrepreneurial groups,
workers' unions and civil society organizations in an
"adjacent room", next to the rooms where the official
negotiations are taking place."

"During the latest round of negotiations, some Honduran
entrepreneurial groups were shocked by certain concessions
made by Guatemala, which were believed to be a strategy to
make up for the poor record in the fight against narco
trafficking. As a result, Guatemala was accused of "selling
the guitar" or undermining the basic principles of
negotiation that the Central American teams have agreed
upon."

"The fact that the obstacles to CAFTA are not exclusively
related to the "unyielding position" of the United States
toward this process, but also to the severe disagreements
between the Central American negotiation teams."

Pierce