Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03TEGUCIGALPA1390
2003-06-13 21:53:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Cable title:  

HONDURAN ATMOSPHERICS ON CAFTA, JUNE 5-12, 2003

Tags:  OIIP KPAO HO PA ETRD USTR 
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UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001390 

SIPDIS

FOR WHA/PDA (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: HONDURAN ATMOSPHERICS ON CAFTA, JUNE 5-12, 2003

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001390

SIPDIS

FOR WHA/PDA (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: HONDURAN ATMOSPHERICS ON CAFTA, JUNE 5-12, 2003


1. Op-ed by Rodil Rivera in Tegucigalpa-based liberal daily "La
Tribuna" (6/05) entitled "Frustration," "What has happened to all
the wealth that the bureaucrats assured us would come from CAFTA?
As we see it, the negotiations are stalling and the American
negotiators are offering less than Central America expected."


2. San Pedro Sula-based Liberal daily "Tiempo," (06/06) ran an
article entitled "The US has cards hidden up its sleeve in the
CAFTA negotiations." "Some segments in the Honduran private
sector believe the U.S. is not responding to the expectations it
had aroused because, during the last round of negotiations in
Guatemala, it proposed a five-year tariff reduction program,
instead of offering to let goods enter the US tariff-free right
from the start of the agreement as Honduran business had
expected."


3. Op-ed by Roger Marin in Tegucigalpa-based moderate daily "El
Heraldo" (06/06) entitled, "Dangerous relationships," which says
that the signing of CAFTA is not supposed to provide all answers
to problems from agricultural productivity to the macro economy
and exchange rate balance. "CAFTA can only be a mechanism to
creating a more prosperous and fairer economy, but that will be
our responsibility."


4. San Pedro Sula-based Liberal daily "La Prensa"(6/08) carried
an interview with Jesus Canahuati, president of the Honduran
Association of Maquiladores and member of the CAFTA negotiation
team, entitled "Guatemala: reckless and confrontational in CAFTA
negotiations," in which he emphasized that there is a severe
conflict between the Guatemalan private sector and the
governmental team, who is carrying out the negotiations in a
reckless and unilateral manner.


5. "La Tribuna" (6/09) featured an article entitled "Honduras
will not be fully aggressive on the fifth round of negotiations."
"None of the Central American teams will be belligerent during
the upcoming round towards the aggressive proposals of the U.S.
team. "This round will be key to finding out more about the U.S.
position on CAFTA."


6. Article in "Tiempo" (6/09) entitled "CAFTA will lose income".
Honduran authorities have estimated that the country would lose
1.5 billion lempiras per year due to the decrease in tariff
revenues.


7. "El Heraldo" (6/10) carried an interview with former Costa
Rican president Miguel Angel Rodriguez entitled, "We need to
negotiate more than just free trade." "Free trade with the US
beyond question beneficial, but Central America also needs to
include other issues, such as migration, cooperation and
compensation to social groups."


8. Article in "El Heraldo" (6/10) entitled "Central America will
expand trade offer to the US" reports that the Central American
negotiation teams agreed to expand the trade offer to the US from
58% to 75%. This proposal that will be presented in the fifth
round of negotiations means that the basket of goods included in
the agreement went from 3,700 to 4,800 products. "This means that
the next round will be key because the real negotiations will
kick off."


9. Article in "La Prensa" (6/11) entitled "Guatemala will
negotiate by itself." The discrepancies among the Central
American teams have become evident since Guatemala announced it
might present its own trade offer to the U.S. in the Fifth round.
Guatemalan private groups have criticized their government's
proposal for not considering the interests of the entire country.


10. An article in "La Tribuna" (6/11) entitled, "Central American
textile entrepreneurs are finishing up their proposal to U.S.,"
says the proposal will consider the needs of the textile and
clothes-making sector, stressing the importance of textiles in
CAFTA. The Central American textile entrepreneurs are also
assessing the advantages and disadvantages of the U.S. proposal
for their industry.


11. Article in "La Prensa" June 12, entitled "Tegucigalpa will be
the starting point of the negotiations," sees the fifth round as
the real beginning of CAFTA negotiations. It also goes on to say
that Honduras will present a concrete proposal on labor
integration.


12. An article in "EL Heraldo", 6/12),entitled "Textile
counterproposal is ready to be presented to the U.S.," says that,
according to Honduran maquila owners, the most critical issues
are the rules of origin, access to plain fabrics and the
definition of "preferences" in U.S. market access.

Palmer