Treaty opponents kick off
national battle to halt OK


Opponents of the free trade treaty with the United States said Sunday that they reject the results of the Oct. 7 referendum and that they are beginning a confrontation and a national battle to free what they said was a kidnapped Costa Rica.

A manifesto, sent via e-mail, outlined the complaints and reasons the group thinks the referendum on the free trade treaty was fraudulent. The treaty was ratified by 3 percentage points, but some 13 measures still have to be enacted by lawmakers to support the terms of the treaty.

The organization is the Frente Occidental de Lucha Juanito Mora, named after the 19th century statesman. The manifesto was distributed by Carlos Salazar F., who identified himself as a member of the Comité Patriótico de Naranjo.

The manifesto was the theoretical framework for a meeting that treaty opponents had at the Universidad de Costa Rica over the weekend. They made it clear that union members, students and others were not going to give up the fight just because they lost the referendum.

According to the manifesto, the referendum was a fraud because of multiple illegalities.

Among other acts, the manifesto complains about the intervention of the United States government in the electoral process, violating the laws and the Constitution. The group means a statement by the U.S., trade representative several days before the vote saying that a re-negotiation of the treaty was not possible.

The document traced the origins of the battle to the arbitrary and unconstitutional election of Óscar Arias Sánchez as president. It also sketches a conspiracy running from Arias and his brother Rodrigo to the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones and to the Sala IV constitutional court.

If the referendum had been done fairly, it would have been a bridge to maintain the social peace, said the document. But, it alleges, the Arias brothers formed an alliance with the national and international communications media and used tactics of vote buying, disinformation and fear.

Juan Rafael Mora Porras, after whom the frente is named was president and directed the 1856-1857 national campaign in which Costa Rica helped overthrow William Walker, the U.S. filibusterer who sought to control Central America. Mora himself was deposed and later executed despite Costa Rica's military success.

Arias urges ratification
of Latin trade treaty by U.S.


Óscar Arias Sánchez has sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House, in which he urged ratification by Congress of the free trade treaties with Panamá, Perú and Colombia.

The Costa Rican president said such treaties were tools for development and for generating opportunities.

The U.S. Congress, now controlled by Democrats, has broken with President George Bush, a Republican, on the matter of treaties. The treaty with Colombia is in danger because some congressmen accuse the Álvaro Uribe regime there of human rights abuses in the war against rebels. The Panamá treaty is in trouble even among Republicans because that country's national assembly elected as a leader a man who is wanted in the murder of a U.S. serviceman.

Bush pushes for approval
of trade treaties too.


President Bush Friday urged the U.S. Congress to approve a set of free trade accords with Colombia, Panama and Peru. Bush said the trade deals will benefit U.S. business and boost democracy in the region.

President Bush made the speech in Miami, Florida, noting it is crucial for U.S. trade with Latin America and other parts of the world. He said that $72 billion in goods and products passed through Miami's ports last year.

The president said the strength of international trade has helped push the area's economic growth and employment levels above national averages.  Bush said a centerpiece of his economic policy has been pursuing free trade deals with other nations, and while in office, he has expanded the number of such deals from three to 14.

Now he is again pressing Congress to approve pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and Peru. He said U.S. exporters will benefit the most under the deals, because they would lower trade duties on many American products sent to the Latin American nations.

Lawmakers in U.S. Congress have voiced support for the agreements with Panama and Peru, but the future of the Colombian plan is unclear. Some legislators have criticized the Colombian government for failing to prevent or investigate attacks on union leaders. They say Colombia must do more before a trade deal is approved.

Bush said Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe has made great strides in his nation, while he recognized that some concerns remain. But he stressed that increasing ties with Colombia was the best way to bring about further improvements.

The president also said the deal with Colombia was crucial to America's strategic interests in the region, especially in the fight against drug traffickers and terrorist groups.

In recent months, the Bush administration has sought to strengthen ties with Latin American allies, amid sharp criticism from Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez and some other regional leaders. The president said the three pending trade deals could help further those efforts.

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