Opponents of U.S. Ratification of Central American Free Trade Agreement Say Victory is Within Reach

Interview with Shane Stevens, of CISPES, the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

The North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, went into effect on January 1, 1994. The pact eliminated trade barriers between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Over the past decade, tens of thousands of U.S. jobs have been lost, mostly to Mexico. As a result of the treaty, economists say, local agriculture and the production of many industrial goods in both Mexico and Canada have been decimated.

For the past few years, the Bush administration has been negotiating another regional trade treaty between six nations and the U.S., known as the Central American Free Trade Agreement. The accord has been approved by all governments involved, but has been ratified, thus far, only by one.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Shane Stevens of CISPES, the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, one of the groups spearheading a week of actions to persuade the U.S. Congress to defeat the ratification of CAFTA. He discusses some of the pressure the U.S. has exerted on Central American nations in advance of ratification of the agreement, and who stands to win and lose if CAFTA goes forward. Stevens also assesses how the outcome of the CAFTA fight may effect negotiations for the larger Free Trade Area of the Americas treaty (FTAA), covering every nation in the western hemisphere except for Cuba.

For more information, call (212) 465-8115. Visit the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador's website at www.cispes.org or the Stop CAFTA Coalition site at www.stopcafta.org

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