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

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

www.btlonline.org
*
"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: www.btlonline.org
*
"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe (at) lists.riseup.net
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe (at) lists.riseup.net
*
betweenthelines (at) snet.net
*
www.squeakywheel.net/
*
Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions
©2005 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.