Groups urge Obama to tread carefully in Honduras

Groups urge Obama to tread carefully in Honduras    Seven groups representing U.S. trade and apparel and textile interests wrote last week to President Barack Obama requesting that U.S. diplomatic efforts in Honduras not affect trade relations in the Central American country.
   The groups include the American Apparel & Footwear Association, Emergency Committee for American Trade, National Council of Textile Organizations, National Retail Federation, Retail Industry Leaders Association, U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
   'We recognize and appreciate that the U.S. government is taking a leadership role in resolving the political situation in Honduras,' the groups said. 'During this time, we would like to emphasize the importance of Honduran economic stability to key sectors of the U.S. economy, and to the long-term political stability in that country and the region. Honduras is a valued U.S./Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) partner that is important to U.S. business.'
   The groups said that in 2008, U.S. exports to Honduras reached nearly $5 billion, with significant and growing sales by a range of U.S. industries. They said Honduras holds particular importance for the U.S. textile and apparel supply chain, and is considered the 'linchpin' of the Western Hemisphere supply chain for this sector.
   Honduras is the third-largest market for U.S. textile mill products (U.S. exports were $1.4 billion in 2008), the fourth-largest supplier of apparel to the U.S. market, and the largest CAFTA-DR supplier to the United States.
   'As a result, thousands of U.S. and Honduran jobs are dependent on the uninterrupted flow of goods to and from Honduras, and within the region,' the letter said. 'Predictability and stability are absolutely critical to U.S. companies, especially in these difficult economic times. Key to that predictability is that the United States maintains a secure bilateral and regional economic relationship with Honduras. As your administration addresses the political situation in Honduras, we urge you to do everything possible to maintain the close commercial ties and economic engagement between the United States and Honduras.' ' Eric Johnson