FTAA SUPPORTERS WANT BRAZIL’s NEW PRESIDENT ON BOARD

FTAA SUPPORTERS WANT BRAZILÆS NEW PRESIDENT ON BOARD    Trade liberalization supporters hope that newly elected Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s meeting with President Bush this week will give impetus to the Free Trade Area for the Americas.
   The FTAA is being negotiated by 34 countries. It promises to decrease or mitigate trade barriers among the American nations and is slated to become effective by the end of 2005.
   The Brazilian president and his Workers’ Party have voiced concern about the cultural and economic changes sought by the treaty, threatening the sovereignty and traditions of Brazil.
   “Clearly, the treaty must have support in Brazil,” said Robert Castro, founder and president of the Inter-American Business Council. “IABC is very hopeful that talks between the U.S. and Brazilian presidents will include the perspective that the FTAA is as much a weapon against terror, corruption and criminal drug trafficking as it is a stepping stone of hope for the quality of life of hundreds of millions of people.”
   IABC has worked to expand support for the FTAA in the Western Hemisphere. The FTAA has created controversy, especially among U.S. agricultural interests because of its provisions dealing with the trade impact of certain government subsidies.
   Current plans call for the treaty negotiations to be completed by January 2005 with the resulting treaty in full operation by December 2005.