Robert Zoellick's Free Trade Evangelism

[arcos]

Robert Zoellick's Free Trade Evangelism

Free trade advocates and multinational corporations are pinning their hopes on Robert Zoellick, the United States trade representative, as negotiators from around the two continents gather in Miami this week for the Free Trade of the Americas talks.

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In addition Zoellick warned Costa Rica in early October that it must open its services market and privatize its telecommunications, electricity and insurance industries if it wants to join CAFTA.

Costa Rica has drawn the greatest anger from the U.S. government because it cancelled the license of Harken, a Texas-based company, for oil exploration for an estimated 2.3 billion barrels of oil and 6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, off Costa Rica's Caribbean coastal port of Moin. News of the company's plans helped rally a massive international campaign against oil drilling in Costa Rica, whose economy is heavily dependent on tourism.

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Advocates of free trade insisted privatization would increase efficiency and lowers costs but the opposite happened. Currently in El Salvador a basic residential telephone costs 274% of the cost in Costa Rica. The cost per call by minute is 43% dearer in El Salvador for normal rate calls. In Costa Rica the state monopoly charges by the second whereas in El Salvador the charge is rounded up to the next minute.

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http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=9108



CAFTA must be stopped!

[arcos]

1. kick n/t

[arcos]

2. kick n/t

[arcos]

3. kick n/t