Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, January 16,  2004

PADRE Mínor Calvo on his way to a hearing in Heredia. A judge is set to decide today on an appeal to release Padre Mínor and businessman Omar Chaves from their six-month preventive prison sentences, imposed last month for their suspected involvement in the 2001 murder of radio journalist Parmenio Medina. See today's TT print edition or Digital PDF version for the full story. TT/Jeffrey Argueda

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Trova Concert
Tibás is the trova center today, Fidel Gamboa, Natalia Esquivel, Luis Angel Castro, Miguel Cabrera, Wágner Vargas and Enrique Zamora are performing the best of their repertoire tonight at 9 p.m., at Salamandra Bar, in the Kilates Complex, Tibás. Info: 245-0658.

Blues and Rock at Museum
Miriam Jarquín and Blues Latino are playing tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the Gold Museum, underneath Plaza de la Cultura in a free concert. Info: 243-4214.

Latin American Music for Classical Guitar Performed by Carlos Castro playing works Heitor Villa-Lobos, Astor Piazzola and Carlos Castro, Including the World Premiere of a Duet for Guitars by Sr. Castro, Sat., Jan. 17, 11 a.m., The Julia and David White Artist Colony in Ciudad Colón. Info: 249-1414.

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Countdown to CAFTA
Begins (Again)
By Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotimes.net

Costa Rican trade negotiators are confident they will be able to reach the agreements necessary to successfully conclude bilateral trade talks with the United States next week and join the rest of Central America as part of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

"We are working to complete negotiations by the end of next week," Foreign Trade Minister Alberto Trejos said during a press conference Thursday. "The number of issues remaining is small, much smaller than it was after the final negotiating round. The end of negotiations will require both parties to find agreements that meet their specific needs."

The bilateral meetings are part of an effort by both countries to include Costa Rica in CAFTA. Following the ninth round of negotiations on Dec. 17, the U.S. concluded negotiations with Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Costa Rica, which also took part in the negotiations, backed out at the last minute, requesting more time to negotiate unresolved issues. Both countries agreed to hold two weeklong bilateral meetings to resolve remaining issues. The first of those meetings was held last week in Washington, D.C. (TT, Dec. 19, 24, Jan. 9).

On Monday, head Costa Rican negotiator Anabel González will meet with head U.S. negotiator Regina Vargo and Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier to discuss the state of negotiations and map out the week's agenda.

On Tuesday, agriculture negotiations will begin. Costa Rica will continue to attempt to establish technical measures to protect its sensitive agricultural staples (rice, potato, onion, chicken, and pork) from U.S. competition, as well as improve access to the U.S. market for its sugar, beef and ethanol exports.

That same day, textile negotiators will hold what is presumed to be their final meeting. Costa Rica will continue to request greater flexibility in rules of origin -- the criteria used to define where a product was made -- that would enable it to extend CAFTA trade privileges to products made with cotton and wool imported from Canada, Mexico and the Andean countries (TT, Sept. 16).

All through the week, negotiators will continue to work on defining the legal framework under which the country's telecommunications (TT, Oct. 31) and insurance (TT, Dec. 19) monopolies will be open to private competition.

On Thursday and Friday, Trejos will meet with Allgeier and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick to tie up remaining loose ends and try to conclude the negotiations.

Despite the complexity of remaining issues, negotiators are confident they will be able to conclude by Friday, given that both parties have already agreed upon the vast majority of the treaty.

"It's important to take into account that the basic framework for all of CAFTA's chapters have been concluded," González, said.

"We have already reached beneficial agreements on market access for industrial goods from Costa Rica to the U.S. and vice-versa," she explained. "In textiles, we have succeeded in obtaining flexible rules of origin that guarantee access for Costa Rican bra, boxer short and pajama exports. In agriculture, we consolidated and expanded benefits obtained through the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI). In services, we're very close to a final agreement."

Despite the optimism, Minister Trejos made clear CAFTA talks would not end unless the U.S. places offers on the table that would be truly beneficial for Costa Rica.

"The country needs to conclude a good trade agreement with the U.S.," he explained. "Reaching an agreement is possible and probable --- it's what we're going there to try to do. We believe Costa Rica will be better off than it is now if it can secure a worthwhile treaty with the U.S. The world won't end if we have a bad meeting and are unable to conclude."