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New U.S. Government to Face Challenges
in Latin America
The George W. Bush administration will
face a series of challenges in its relations with Latin America
and the Caribbean, said specialists on Monday.
Main challenges will include the signing of
a free trade agreement with Chile, negotiations on the Free Trade
Area of the Americas (ALCA) and relations with Cuba, reported
Caracas- headquartered Latin American Economic System (LAES) in
a communique.
Negotiations with Chile &lhttp://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/Chile.html>
could serve as a basis for future U.S. bilateral trade agreements
in the region, said LAES specialists, who also noted that the
Summit of the Americas, to be held from April 20 to 22 in Quebec,
Canada
&lhttp://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/canada.html>
, will be the first international commercial diplomatic experience
for Bush.
Negotiations with Chile and other South American
countries will depend, to a large extent, on Bush's ability to
negotiate a fast- track.
Chile-U.S. negotiations on the signing of a
free trade agreement resumed on December 6 last year, even though
U.S. congressmen did not give Bush's predecessor Bill Clinton
the faculty for a fast-track negotiation.
The faculty for a fast-track negotiation would
set special regulations for Congress's consideration of commercial
agreements signed by the government. Under the fast-tack, the
U.S. President could submit a decree of enactment of agreements
to Congress, which would be considered under expedited procedures.
LAES specialists assured that there are strong
reasons to doubt that the Bush administration will continue with
limited reforms, begun by Clinton, on the normalization of relations
with the Cuban government.
"Should sanctions against Cuba &lhttp://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/cuba.html>
continue to be lessened, there could arise a strong conservative
Republican opposition in Congress, and the new president would
need all available support from members of his party in the years
to come," they said.
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