Central American bishops criticize free trade accords

Published: 2004-06-25

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A delegation of Central American bishops visited Washington at the end of June to criticize free trade agreements between the United States and their governments. They said such agreements would favor U.S. exports and do little to alleviate the widespread poverty in their countries. They also criticized their governments, saying they provided little public information about the contents of the agreements and limited consultations on the accords to mostly business groups. The United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica have signed the Central American Free Trade Agreement, known as CAFTA. The agreement still needs to be ratified by the national congresses of the six countries. The United States and Panama are currently negotiating a similar bilateral treaty.

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