CAFTA is Waiting for 2004 Congress
CAFTA is Waiting for 2004 Congress
Date: Thursday, December 18, 2003 6:13 PM
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
www.ZaZona.com
We are now getting a look at what the globalists have produced at the
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) talks in Miami, and it's not
good! The Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, has been
agreed to. CAFTA is another vast expansion of NAFTA to include Central
America.
President Bush said he will sign it so the only hope of stopping this
monster will be in a Congress that never says no to Free Trade
Agreements.
Since these trade agreements are made in secret, we don't yet know the
immigration implications, but it's rather interesting that Julia Sweig
of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is complaining that human
capitol is not as important in the agreement as commodities. Since the
CFR is an globalist club of elite power brokers, Sweig's only concern
with "human capitol" is the ease of moving these people across borders
in order to improve corporate profits - compassion or patriotism isn't
an issue. The fact that she is complaining might be the only positive
thing about CAFTA, but that is yet to be determined.
"Part of the reason this year has not been kind to these
trade pacts is the advocates of free trade are too
fundamentalist in their approach," said Julia Sweig, a
senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and
Latin America expert. "They don't give the same level
of priority to human capital - immigration and labor
rights - as they do to inanimate issues like property
rights and goods and services."
This bumper sticker image says it all:
http://www.zazona.com/shameh1b/images/humor/no%20cafta%20bumper%20sticker.gif
You can have some fun searching for CFR members by going to:
http://www.cfr.org/
Here are a few of the CFRs better known members:
I was curious whether Jasper is paranoid so I decided to check the CFR
for
members by using their search for staff and fellows.
CFR Members
George W. Bush
Carol Moseley Braun
General Wesley Clark USA (Ret.)
Howard Dean
John Edwards
Richard A. Gephardt
Bob Graham
John F. Kerry
Joseph I. Lieberman
Al Sharpton
Dennis Kucinich
It takes some persistance to search the CFR site for members, but they
do have documents that give the information away. They used to have a
search engine that made it much easier.
One more member of note is the man that's doing the trade negotiations
for the U.S. - Robert B. Zoellick!
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031218/ZNYT01/312180463/1001/BUSINESS
Published Thursday, December 18, 2003
A Pact on Central America Trade Zone, Minus One
By ELIZABETH BECKER
New York Times
WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 - The United States sewed up its first new trade
agreement in a year marked by reversals and setbacks, completing
negotiations on Wednesday with four Central American countries to
create a regional free trade pact. But it fell short of its goal of
including Costa Rica, the richest nation of the group, and prospects
are cloudy for trade progress in the year ahead. Robert B. Zoellick,
the United States trade representative, saluted his partners from El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, saying they had the
courage to agree to open their economies further to United States
services and goods. Still, the agreement is but a fraction of the Bush
administration's ambitious trade agenda. That agenda has faltered on
several fronts this year: global trade talks collapsed in Canczn,
Mexico, in September; bilateral talks for trade agreements with Morocco
and Australia have been delayed; and the agenda for a free-trade
agreement for the Western Hemisphere had to be watered down to avoid a
debacle. Free trade advocates say these disappointments reflect
deepening concern in the United States and around the world about the
direction of trade liberalization and questions about its benefits.
"Part of the reason this year has not been kind to these trade pacts is
the advocates of free trade are too fundamentalist in their approach,"
said Julia Sweig, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
and Latin America expert. "They don't give the same level of priority
to human capital - immigration and labor rights - as they do to
inanimate issues like property rights and goods and services." In the
United States, some lawmakers and others are gaining traction in their
complaints that free trade agreements have helped propel the country's
growing trade deficit, which now stands at $500 billion, and
contributed to the loss of three million manufacturing jobs since
President Bush took office. Though the new pact, the Central American
Free Trade Agreement, or Cafta, was warmly received by many industry
groups in the United States, representatives from the sugar and textile
industries as well as some members of Congress were already complaining
that it would cost more jobs in return for little benefit. "In order to
get a trade agreement, they had to trade our jobs in sugar," said
Dalton Yancey, executive vice president of the Florida Sugarcane
League. "But people are more concerned today about jobs, and this
agreement means sugar producers and industries in rural America are
going to lose more jobs." Those issues will make it difficult for the
administration to win passage of Cafta in Congress in the coming
election year. Besides the potential loss of jobs and growth in the
trade deficit, lawmakers say they are concerned about labor and
environmental standards. With the administration's tepid trade record
and the loss of jobs looming as a major campaign issue, it is
questionable whether any of the presidential candidates will be
full-throated advocates for free trade and globalization. This year,
the administration has also completed two free trade agreements begun
by President Bill Clinton, one with Chile and one with Singapore, but
it has won little support on the global stage. World Trade Organization
talks in Canczn broke down when a group of 20 developing nations
challenged the contention by the United States and Europe that current
trade rules are effective in the fight against poverty in the poorest
nations. And the Bush administration backed away from its steel tariffs
this month after losing to Europe at the W.T.O., a test of America's
commitment to being policed by an international organization. Cafta
exemplifies the free trade dance the administration is having to
perform. Currently, the annual trade between the United States and the
four Cafta countries is valued at $15.4 billion, with nearly
three-fourths of the products from Central America already entering
duty free under special preference programs. The United States insisted
that the Central American nations open up their protected service areas
and agricultural products markets. But at the same time, the United
States is resisting a full opening of its borders to sensitive
agriculture products like sugar. Trade officials made no direct claims
on Wednesday that the new agreement would lead to an improved trade
balance or more jobs for Americans. Instead, said one, "Cafta and other
trade agreements are important components to creating an overall robust
economic picture of expanding jobs and exports." There is growing
criticism that social programs, particularly in the public health
arena, suffer disproportionately under these new trade agreements. The
talks over a new free trade agreement with Australia had to be extended
in part because the Australian government balked at demands by United
States officials to water down the system under which the Australian
government negotiates the prices it pays for prescription drugs. The
new Cafta agreement was criticized by global health advocates who said
that the provision strengthening intellectual property rights would
weaken generic drug manufacturers in the region. "This is the worst
case scenario," said Rachel Cohen of Doctors Without Borders. "By
limiting the ability of generic pharmaceutical companies to compete, it
will mean these people lose the lever of generic competition that keeps
prices down and gives poor people access to medicine." Costa Rica,
which could still join Cafta, resisted doing so this week because of
American demands to open up its services industries and tourist trade,
which could mean giving up control of its coastline and its emphasis on
ecotourism. Still, the administration won strong support for Cafta from
many industry groups, including the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Mark Smith, the director of Western Hemisphere affairs at the
organization, said Cafta was "a strong, high-value and comprehensive
agreement." He said that the United States was correct to insist that
Costa Rica open up its services sector. "Telecommunications has been a
state-run monopoly for quite some time,'' Mr. Smith said. "It's been
linked with social programs by extending telecommunication links to
rural areas, but the fact is Costa Rica has some of the highest rates
in the region." Similarly, Mr. Zoellick said the textile and apparel
industries would be strengthened by closer integration between American
yarn and fiber producers and Central American manufacturers. The
industry is facing stiff competition from China and other nations, Mr.
Zoellick said, and the agreement will help "to prepare for an
increasingly competitive global market." Senator Ernest F. Hollings,
Democrat of South Carolina, complained that the South Carolina textile
industry had "already lost 62,400 jobs to Mexico, China and other
countries." "This agreement will get rid of the rest," he said. "This
is about all of the Bush jobs policy that we can stand."
http://www.caltradereport.com/eWebPages/front-page-1071794538.html
Central America, US FTA Concluded
Pact culminates two years of negotiations
WASHINGTON, DC - 12/18/03 - The US and four Central American nations -
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua - have concluded an
historic and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that will strip
away barriers to trade, eliminate tariffs, open markets, and promote
investment, economic growth and opportunity for all five countries.
The culmination of a year of intense negotiations, the CAFTA "fulfills
a key US objective of opening markets with free trade partners, while
continuing to push trade liberalization hemispherically through the
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and globally in the Doha talks
in the World Trade Organization (WTO)," said US Trade Representative
(USTR) Robert Zoellick, who announced the agreement at a press
conference in Washington.
Zoellick noted that the US "strives for the highest standards in its
comprehensive FTAs. A fifth Central American participant, Costa Rica,
said it needs to undertake further consultations at home before being
able to move forward to finalize its participation in CAFTA."
Combined total goods trade between the US and the four CAFTA countries
currently amounts to about $15.4 billion annually.
The CAFTA countries and many other developing countries already enjoy
duty free access to the US market for the majority of their exports
through trade preference programs provided by Congress to promote
economic development.
Yet these countries often have high tariff and non-tariff barriers for
US exports and impose restrictions on US businesses.
More than 80% of US exports of consumer and industrial goods will
become duty-free in Central America immediately, with remaining tariffs
phased out over 10 years. Key US export sectors will benefit, such as
information technology products, agricultural and construction
equipment, paper products, chemicals, and medical and scientific
equipment.
Protections and non-discriminatory treatment are provided for digital
products such as U.S. software, music, text, and videos, as are
protections for US patents, trademarks and trade secrets are
strengthened.
The CAFTA's worker protection provisions "go beyond the
recently-enacted Chile and Singapore FTAs to create a three-part
strategy on worker rights that will ensure effective enforcement of
domestic labor laws, establish a cooperative program to improve labor
laws and enforcement, and build the capacity of Central American
nations to monitor and enforce labor rights," said Zoellick.
The agreement "also establishes a secure, predictable legal framework
for US investors in Central America and provides ground-breaking
anti-corruption measures in government contracting. US firms are
guaranteed a fair and transparent process to sell goods and services to
a wide range of Central American government entities," he said.
"State-of-the-art free trade agreements like the CAFTA not only reduce
barriers to U.S. trade, but also require important reforms of the
domestic legal and business environment that are key to encouraging
business development and investment. Such reforms include providing
greater transparency for government actions and rule making;
strengthening the rule of law; and improving the protection and
enforcement of intellectual property rights," the USTR said.
President Bush announced his intention to negotiate an FTA with the
CAFTA countries on January 16, 2002, at a speech before the
Organization of American States.
The Administration worked with Congress throughout 2002 to secure Trade
Promotion Authority (TPA). Congress enacted the Trade Act of 2002 in
August, 2002, and on October 1, 2002, the Administration notified
Congress that it would begin the CAFTA negotiations.
CAFTA negotiations began in January, 2003, and took place in 9 rounds
of negotiations. These negotiations took place in San Salvador, El
Salvador; San Jose, Costa Rica; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Tegucigalpa,
Honduras; Managua, Nicaragua; and in the US in Houston, New Orleans,
Cincinnati, and, finally, Washington.
The five Central American countries already are joined in a free trade
zone, making the negotiation of the FTA a natural endeavor.
The draft text of the new CAFTA agreement will be released in January,
and, under the Trade Act of 2002, the Bush Administration must notify
Congress at least 90 days before signing the agreement.
The Administration expects to notify Congress early next year of its
intent to sign the CAFTA. It will also continue to consult with
Congress on the agreement to prepare the way for eventual
consideration.
The US will begin negotiations with the Dominican Republic early next
year, and will seek to bring that country into the CAFTA negotiations
next year, prior to Congressional action on legislation to approve and
implement the agreement.
Separately, the US has also announced intentions to begin FTA
negotiations with Panama, Colombia and Peru, to be followed by Bolivia
and Ecuador when they are ready.
In the Americas, the US' current and in process FTA partners represent
68% of the GDP of the hemisphere, not counting the US, according to
Department of Commerce figures released a few months ago.
-----Original Message-----
[mailto:audreymlj@bigvalley.net]
Date: Thursday, December 18, 2003 9:48 AM
AUDREYS MISSILES
A weekly newsletter dedicated to the peaceful reform of the United
States government.
THE MYTH OF FREE TRADE
A quick comparison of the titles with the provisions of the bills that
make their way through the Congress of the United States will reveal
how deceptive they are. The authors want to make them sound desirable,
so we see the "Clean Forest Act", the "Patriot Act", and many others
that are not only loaded with pork, but also loaded with provisions
which directly contradict their much publicized titles. Government
officials have taken the same approach to free trade. In theory, many
believe that true free trade is a good idea and that it benefits the
majority in both trading countries. However, what has been foisted on
the public has not been free trade at all, but agreements designed to
benefit special interests and organized crime, just as has been the
case with domestic legislation.
After some very unfortunate experiences with the US brand of free
trade, foreign countries are beginning to resist the American pressures
and refusing to sign the lop-sided agreements. The United States is
giving lip service to free trade, but when it comes down to the nitty-
gritty details they seek copyright and other protections for
intellectual property, protections for investment flows, protection for
the drug industry against distribution of generics, and protection for
the large corporate farmers who want their subsidies continued! George
Bushs recent battle with the European Union over the steel tariffs
is a very good illustration of how little principle is involved, and
how much policy is simply kow-tow to the wealthy special interests and
tacit recognition of the realities of election politics. They want
trade advantages for corporate interests so much that they tolerate
yearly trade deficits of FOUR HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS. Those deficits
mean destruction of domestic industries, loss of jobs, and wealth
outflow from this country in staggering amounts that cannot be
recovered. The deficits have reached such alarming proportions that
they are quoting them by the month or by the country, rather than
totals by the year!
Negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) are at an impasse.
The talks in Cancun in September produced no agreement at all, and the
more recent talks in Miami aimed at a hemispheric agreement fared no
better. Although agreement was announced, when examined it proved to be
little more than an ineffectual fig leaf to hide the deep differences
that had surfaced earlier in Cancun. CAFTA, the Central American Free
Trade Agreement soon to be considered by the US Congress, could cause
thousands of small farmers in Central America to lose their jobs. That
is okay with the big money interests because it would mean more chap
labor for their sweatshops! CAFTA will certainly lead to continued loss
of manufacturing jobs and will not create any other jobs.. Washington
will overlook corruption and drug trafficking so as not to delay the
trade agreement! Despite world protests, the U.S. government appears
ready to make economic conditions both here and in Central America
worse. CAFTA is being promoted at the behest of big money interests and
of organized crime. Thanks to the boost porous borders have given the
drug trade and people smuggling, crime is now the most powerful force
in the world, unchallenged by government. Just a few examples: Joe
Bonanno, head of the infamous New York crime family, died of natural
causes at his Arizona home at the age of 97. Congress is afraid to
protect Elian Gonzales. Kenneth Lay roams free, not even charged. Opium
production in Afghanistan is at an all-time high. The US government is
so infiltrated and so intimidated by criminal elements that they are
ready to incur billions in trade deficits. They will send young men and
women to fight and die and capture someone like Saddam Hussein, but
they are not either willing or able to pursue the criminals in our own
midst!
SOURCES:
<http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_01/salinas122801.html>
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3224552.stm>
siness/3226010.stm>
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/3226010.stm>
siness/3304663.stm>
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/3304663.stm>
<http://www.iht.com/cgi-bin/generic.cgi?template=articleprint.tmplh&ArticleId=99712>
<http://www.mymarkup.net/blog/archives/000242.html>
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