US embassy cable - 05TEGUCIGALPA1371

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001371 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR WHA/PD; IIP/G/WHA DIPASQUALE; AND IIP/T/ES 
DEPT. FOR EB/TPP DCLUNE, WHA/EPSC AND WHA/CEN 
DEPT. PASS USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KPAO, ETRD, HO, USTR 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON CAFTA, JUNE 27, 2005 
 
 
1. On 06/25 the Tegucigalpa-based liberal daily "La Tribuna" 
published an editorial entitled "Final Round."  "Once Bush 
sent CAFTA-DR for legislative ratification the two North 
American chambers of Congress have 90 days to approve or 
reject it." 
 
"The approval requires a simple majority in both chambers 
and, even though opposition is strong the Senate's Financial 
Committee approved CAFTA-DR's draft by 11 to 9 votes, while 
the House of Representatives' Procedure Committee also 
accepted the text by 25 to 16 votes." 
 
"Bush says that the treaty shouldn't be seen just as a 
commercial agreement but also as a way to strengthen 
countries' democracy. Democrats affirm that they don't 
understand why these kind of agreements are being approved 
if they are bad for the U.S and for other countries." 
 
"While all this was happening, the President of Costa Rica 
declared that CAFTA wouldn't be approved until it is certain 
that it will benefit the country. The Nicaraguan Assembly 
hasn't ratified the treaty either. In the Dominican Republic 
the business sector has objected to it so the ratification 
is still uncertain." 
 
"Despite all that, if Bush sent the treaty to Congress it is 
because he has the feeling that he has enough votes for its 
approval and apparently he has applied strong pressure to 
make that happen." 
 
2. "La Tribuna" published an op-ed by Oscar Antonio Oyuela 
entitled "Washington and its Neighbors."  "With the latest 
political events in Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Bolivia, 
the U.S. seems to have noticed that its old Latin American 
allies are trying to stop being its unconditional allies." 
 
"According to economic and financial experts, CAFTA 
guarantees better commercial exchange between our countries, 
more access to the North American market, investments for 
development, increased indicators in education, health, 
culture, transfer of technologies and more. In exchange, the 
region and the Caribbean must restructure the judicial 
framework in order to attract investors.." 
 
"Even though Kissinger recommended higher defense 
expenditures in the region, he also insisted that the United 
States should create a policy `for the long term that would 
best respond to the challenge of social, economic, and 
democratic development in the region as well as internal and 
external threats to its security and stability.'" 
 
"For the U.S., CAFTA is the beginning of a broader plan in 
Latin America that will allow it to reinforce its leadership 
in the hemisphere and it will allow our countries to 
modernize and progress with other values and customs. 
However, those who are not prepared to face the challenges 
will be buried. Ability, creativity, and competition will 
replace mediocrity and opportunism." 
 
Palmer