US embassy cable - 03SANTODOMINGO4533

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 004533 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT PASS USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: DR, ETRD, OREP, PGOV 
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN PRESIDENT TELLS CONG. WELLER HE'S 
CONFIDENT ON FREE TRADE AGREEMENT 
 
 1.  SUMMARY. Dominican President Mejia told U.S. Congressmen 
visiting Aug 20-24 that prospects are &fine8 for a 
bilateral free trade agreement.  Hosted by the Dominican 
private sector, Cong. Weller (R-Illinois), Cong. Brown 
(R-South Carolina) and Republican staffers stressed the need 
to address U.S. concerns on intellectual property rights and 
agriculture.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.   Congressional Representative Jerry Weller (R-Illinois) 
headed a non-official visit to the Dominican Republic August 
20 ) 24 to meet private sector enterprises and government 
representatives to discuss the prospective free trade 
agreement (FTA) with the United States.  Also visiting were 
Representative Henry E. Brown (R-South Carolina), staffers 
representing Republican U.S. Representatives Hastert of IL, 
Brady of TX, and Blunt of MO, Margarita Cepeda of the 
Dominican American National Roundtable, and Carlos Gonzalez, 
New Hampshire State Representative. 
 
3. During events with the American Chamber of Commerce and 
with a group of Dominican bankers Cong. Weller expressed 
strong support for a US-Dominican FTA. He urged business 
participants to work with the GODR and to seek support for 
the FTA among the business community.  Though both groups 
were generally very positive toward the prospective FTA, some 
participants expressed concern that the GODR might not be 
able to achieve an agreement sufficiently tailored to the 
country,s needs.  A former Ambassador to the United States 
remarked privately that there was insufficient time for the 
local private sector to assess the impact of a FTA on 
specific sectors.  The Dominicans expressed concern that 
elections in both countries might delay the agreement. 
 
4. AmCham members responded enthusiastically to Weller,s 
suggestion to assess the impact of the agreement on their 
local operations and to inform U.S. Congressional leaders 
when their districts had the prospect of increasing exports 
to the Dominican Republic. 
 
SESSION WITH THE PRESIDENT 
 
5.  Dominican President Hipolito Mejia and members of his 
administration welcomed Weller and the delegation during a 
breakfast meeting August 22.  The Congressman thanked the 
GODR for its support for the U.S. on the Middle East Road 
Map, the liberation of Iraq, counter-narcotic efforts, and 
the importance of free trade.  Weller said a FTA would 
further strengthen political and economic relationships 
between the United States and the region.  He acknowledged 
particular sensitivities, including agricultural issues and 
intellectual property rights (IPR).  Cong. Brown (R-SC) 
admonished participants that many jobs were moving from Latin 
America to China and that only by acting together could FTA 
partners prosper.  At the end of the breakfast, when Brown 
asked President Mejia if there was anything he would like to 
ask of the delegation, the President responded with a 
confident, &No!  Everything is fine.8 
 
6.    During the delegation,s visit to the Caribbean 
Industrial Park in Santiago, Carlos Alvarez, President of the 
Santiago Free Zone Association warned of dramatic negative 
results if an FTA were not reached before agricultural quotas 
are eliminated by WTO members.  Cong.  Weller again stressed 
his strong support for a FTA and reiterated his concerns 
about IPR.  He urged the Dominican private sector and the 
GODR to stay focused. 
 
7.    COMMENT. Overall, the congressional delegation visit 
went smoothly.  The sponsors met their objectives of showing 
the U.S. representatives the Dominican dedication to 
negotiating a free trade agreement, the advanced economic 
relationship that already exists, further economic prospects, 
and areas of concern for the negotiations. END COMMENT. 
 
KUBISKE