Ticos Vote in Favor of DR-CAFTA
Ticos Vote in Favor of DR-CAFTA
In a recent referendum, Costa Ricans narrowly voted in favor of joining the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement. Costa Rica,the first country to hold a public vote on whether to join, was deeply divided. During AS/COA's Latin American Cities Conference in San Salvador, participants discussed DR-CAFTA as an engine for Central American economic growth.
In a referendum on Sunday, Costa Ricans narrowly voted in favor of joining the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). The governments of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic have already ratified the trade pact, which the U.S. Congress approved in July 2005. Costa Rica is the first country to hold a public referendum on whether to join and, according to polls, was deeply divided about the agreement. Despite recent major protests against DR-CAFTA, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias supported the pact, which he discussed in an exclusive interview with AS/COA. U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab warned that the United States would not renegotiate with Costa Rica if voters rejected the agreement, which aims to eliminate trade barriers and tariffs on goods exchanged between the United States and Central America.
During AS/COA's Latin American Cities Conference in San Salvador, participants discussed DR-CAFTA as an engine for Central American economic growth. In an AS/COA interview, U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks—who cast the deciding vote in favor of DR-CAFTA in the U.S. Congress—talked about the importance of passing the agreement.
