President Oscar Arias and his brother, Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias, met with Citizen Action Party (PAC) faction head Elizabeth Fonseca yesterday to discuss laws required to implement the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA).
PAC has long opposed CAFTA and the 12 laws required to implement it. Yesterday, Fonseca reiterated that the party would present motions to change the laws before voting against them. But the party will not block debate on these laws, as it has in the past, she said.
For its part, the government promised to listen to PAC's suggestions on the content of the laws and the timeline for discussing them. The government will also bring Citizen Action into the negotiation process for a free-trade agreement between Central America and the European Union, which begins Oct. 22.
Fonseca said Citizen Action will propose alternative, less far-reaching bills that would still allow Costa Rica to comply with the free-trade agreement. Rodrigo Arias and National Liberation Party (PLN) faction head Mayí Antillón said they are open to suggestions.
Rodrigo Arias identified bills on development and security that the government and PAC agree should be pushed forward. These include reforms to the Immigration Law, reforms to the Transit Law, a law to create a development bank, a property tax law and a law to facilitate the concession of public works projects.
Still, Antillón said these bills should not be tackled until March 1, 2008, Costa Rica's deadline to implement CAFTA |
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