[Mb-civic] Export Goods, Not People - Oscar Arias - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

Export Goods, Not People

By Oscar Arias

Sunday, July 17, 2005; Page B07

Almost 18 years ago the presidents of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, 
Nicaragua and Costa Rica signed a peace plan identifying democracy as 
the key to resolving our region's fratricidal conflicts. We were 
convinced that only through democracy would the Central American people 
be able to enjoy the benefits of peace.

Although Central America has come a long way since the wars of the 
1980s, the basic equation of liberal democracy remains out of balance. 
Today every Central American nation holds regular and transparent 
elections, but at the same time almost 30 percent of our people cannot 
afford to buy the most basic foodstuffs. With more than half of all 
families living below the poverty line, our democracies cannot fulfill 
their promise to provide economic opportunities along with peace.

<>As the House of Representatives begins debate on the Central American 
Free Trade Agreement, which was approved by the Senate late last month, 
members should keep in mind that trade is essential for Central 
America's economies to grow and lift millions out of poverty. We ask not 
for charity but for enlightened self-interest from our northern 
neighbor, as there is no doubt that the United States is affected by the 
fortunes of this small isthmus, so closely tied to it by geography, by 
history and now by millions of Central Americans who have made their 
homes in the North.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/15/AR2005071501618.html 

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