A Rose by Any Other Name - It doesn’t matter whether you call it an agreement, a treaty, an accord, a pact or whatever. According to the Vienna Convention they all have the same status, duties and obligations.

There Isn’t No Way Out - Opponents say that the agreement is “til death do us apart” and there are clear mechanisms for exiting the treaty within the accord. 6 month written notice is all that is required.

Costa Rica Doesn’t Give Up More Sovereignty - Costa Rica is already a member of the World Trade Organization and the CAFTA follows norms already established there.

Non-re-negotiable - the Notables concluded that Costa Rica must decide yes or no to the treaty as is. This is due to the fact that the U.S. has already ratified it.

Without CAFTA - Costa Rica would not be certain that the Caribbean Basin Initiatives would remain and would face tough competition for investment and trade from countries who do ratify CAFTA. Also international investors would receive a mixed signal, which could cause them not to do business in Costa Rica.

With CAFTA - This would allow Costa Rica to compete on a level playing field, but the country would still have to pass legislation and promote itself based on comparative advantages over other countries.

They also warned that the approval of CAFTA itself is not a great leap forward, it only is a tool (albeit an important tool) that must be used properly.

Wal-mart now owns 33.3% of the Corporación Supermercados Unidos, which owns Hipermas, Pali, Mas X Menos, and Servimas. The purchase was actually part of a larger transaction where Wal-Mart bought the shares that the Dutch giant Royal Ahold owned in the American Retail Holding Company (CARHCO), due to the financial crisis they are suffering.

CARCHCO was formed in 2001 by Corporacion Supermercados Unidos (Costa Rica), Corporacion de Compañias Agroindustriales de Costa Rica and Grupo Fragua of Guatemala. The company has 363 outlets in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica.

Wal-Mart owns 5,350 sgtores in 10 countries, but say they currently have no plans to open stores in Costa Rica, despite the shopping spree.

The old Plaza de la Soledad is no longer lonely and has a new name: Plaza de las Artes. It is the first project in the “San Jose Possible” plan and boasts a ¢32 milllion renovation. The remodelling is designed to afford a public space for performing artists like acrobats, jugglers, musicians, actors and mimes.

People or groups interested in using the plaza may contact the Cultural Office of the San Jose municipal government, at least 1 month in advance.

In a new twist to the epic CAFTA tale, sort of, President Pacheco announced that he will finally send CAFTA for discussion to Congress. This is based on the report of the Council of Notables.
“I will send it, because I must” he stated. However, he did not set a date for sending it.

This means that the trade agreement (possibly a treaty) is no longer linked to the Tax Plan, and also that the report from the Council of Notables is now no longer a state secret. The report analyzes CAFTA as negotiated, then goes on to make recommendations as to what actions Costa Rica must take in order to benefit from the agreement.