Peruvian archbishop opposes free-trade accord with U.S.

Published: 2006-04-13

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Peruvian bishops oppose a proposed U.S.-Peruvian free-trade agreement because it heavily favors the United States, said Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno of Huancayo, president of the Peruvian bishops' Social Action Commission. The treaty would allow the U.S. to continue subsidizing farm prices while prohibiting Peru from providing export incentives to its producers, he said. These U.S. subsidies would allow U.S. farm products to be sold cheaper than their Peruvian equivalents, said Archbishop Barreto. One result would be a sharp increase in the cultivation of coca leaves, the raw ingredient for cocaine, to replace crops no longer viable because of U.S. competition, he said. Archbishop Barreto spoke April 12 during a teleconference organized by Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, an independent group monitoring world trade relations. The organization opposes the U.S.-Peruvian agreement.

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