COSTA RICAN MEDIA POSITIVE ON CAFTA-DR PASSAGE IN

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 001722 SIPDIS SENSITIVE WHA/CEN EB FOR WCRAFT E FOR TSMITHAM WHA FOR WMIELE WHA/EPSC FOR KURS H FOR JHAGAN STATE PASS TO USTR FOR JYOUNG, CPADILLA, AMALITO INR/R/MR WHA/PPA INR/R/AA MEDIA REC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC ETRD ECON PREL SOCI CS SUBJECT: COSTA RICAN MEDIA POSITIVE ON CAFTA-DR PASSAGE IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REF: A. SAN JOSE 01720 ¶B. SAN JOSE 01713 ¶1. (U) Summary: Costa Rican media attention to CAFTA-DR, always strong, intensified with the recent passage of the agreement in the U.S. House of Representatives (San Jose 01713, 01720). General reporting was heavy, with five Costa Rican dailies on 7/29 publishing more than 11 pages on CAFTA-DR approval in the U.S. and the fact that Costa Rica,s ratification is held up by President Pacheco,s conditioning of CAFTA-DR on passage of his fiscal reform plan. Almost all media interviewed deputies, businessmen, and former CAFTA-DR negotiators on their positions and predictions about what could happen if Costa Rica did not approve CAFTA-DR and the complementary agenda. Editorials representing the opinion of major print outlets are just beginning to appear and are strongly positive, continuing past trends. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) "La Nacion," Costa Rica,s most influential daily and strongly supportive of CAFTA-DR, in a column entitled "Neither Fear nor Furtiveness" editorialized: CAFTA-DR'S approval by the House of Representatives, besides being good news, in theory clarifies the economic landscape, challenges the political class and Costa Rican government, and places our country on the path of decisions that we, necessarily, have to adopt." The paper goes on to describe these decisions -- CAFTA-DR's approval or rejection and whether that decision will be made "via the rule of law or in the streets." After the paper's usual criticism of the President and the Government's handling of CAFTA-DR, it states that the President "must make a decision and that decision, of course, must not be inspired by fear or on delaying tactics." "La Nacion" concludes by explaining that "The rule of law means, on this occasion, following democratic constitutional procedures -- not holding CAFTA-DR hostage, but sending it to the Legislative Assembly for deliberation and a vote -- and respecting citizens, constitutional rights: freedom of transit, personal safety and free access to the full range of public services. The current government,s main efforts have concentrated on not doing this. The time for assuming responsibility, however, in view of the course of events, has arrived. ¶3. (U) Financial and economic daily "La Republica" published two opinion pieces, one of them written by their administrative manager, in which she highlights that CAFTA-DR approval "demonstrates that Americans support free trade agreements despite heated debates and business interests." The column then details the dire predictions made in Mexico and the U.S. related to the possible effects of NAFTA, none of which were born out by the truth, and concludes by stating that "The reality is that CAFTA-DR is not the devil or an angel, but simply an instrument for development." ¶4. (U) Broadcast media also aired interviews and news stories on CAFTA-DR approval in the House of Representatives. TV station Channel 7, on 7/28 and 7/29, dedicated more than one hour of news programming to reports on CAFTA-DR. While radio and TV stations do not generally editorialize, one radio station aired a three-minute editorial on CAFTA-DR, which stated that "The world has taken a new step forward" and described CAFTA-DR as "a fundamental change defining U.S. policy towards Latin America." It concluded that in Costa Rica "we are now facing total integration and have to take advantage of the opportunity to attract more investments." KAPLAN