MEDIA REACTION ON CAFTA, JUNE 8, 2004

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001308 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR WHA/PD; IIP/G/WHA DIPASQUALE; AND IIP/T/ES DEPT. FOR EB/TPP DCLUNE AND WHA/CEN DEPT. PASS USTR FOR JWOLFE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KPAO ETRD HO USTR SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON CAFTA, JUNE 8, 2004 ¶1. Op-ed by Ramon Villeda Bermudez (current member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Congress and former Liberal Party presidential candidate) in Tegucigalpa-based liberal daily "La Tribuna" on 6/5 entitled "Two lies in three letters." "Representatives of several unions from Central America and the Dominican Republic met in San Jose, Costa Rica to study what in Spanish is known as the TLC, or CAFTA in English. The first contradiction they found is in regard to the words used in the official text of the agreement, since the Spanish version refers to it as a `treaty' and the English as an `agreement'." "This difference is crucial. A treaty is a compulsory pact for all parties, but an agreement it's much less complex, and if CAFTA is a fast-track agreement, it would be in effect immediately. Thus, it wouldn't have to go through the long process of ratification by Congresses, which may also be used to avoid changes to the final text. That's why both documents should use the same wording, because if it remains as it is, it could produce different obligations that any party could use for its own benefit." "Although the governments have kept in secret the last- minute changes they made, ignoring the small entrepreneurs, members of Congress and unions, there are several elements that have aggravated our skepticism on what they've done." "It's been said that TLC are three letters that contain two lies: it's not a treaty (it's an agreement) and it isn't about free trade either, it's about free investment." "The unions have also concluded that there are two strange and hidden commitments that shouldn't be part of CAFTA: the protection of intellectual property and patents. The irresponsibility of including those provisions in CAFTA has been possible because only the government and some privileged businessmen have participated in the negotiations." "If we're actually talking about a treaty, it'll eventually come to Congress, and the government will have to spend the remainder of 2004 trying to convince all Hondurans on CAFTA's benefits, especially those of us who have serious doubts about it." Palmer