Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Area (CAFTA-DR) Agreement
and
Andean Free Trade Area (AFTA) Negotiations

Two Forums
at the US Senate on Capitol Hill

Washington, DC April 25, 2005 Americas Global Foundation invites you to its next Capitol Hill Speaker Series (CHSS) Forum at the US Congress, this time on CAFTA-DR, Central American and Dominican Republic Free Trade Area agreement.

DATE                Wednesday, May 4, 2005
HOUR               3:00 to 5:00 PM
LOCATION       US Senate Dirksen Office Building, Room 106
SPEAKERS      US Congress members Xavier Becerra and Henry Cuellar
                            Stephanie Weinberg, Trade Policy Advisor 
                            OXFAM America; Elizabeth Drake, Policy Analyst at AFL-CIO
                            David Waskow, International Program Director, Friends of the Earth
Moderator        Ing. Victor Pinzon

As the US Congress prepares to vote on the CAFTA-DR Agreement we feel timely to address these important trade negotiations between the US and its Central American Dominican Republic trading partners.

The purpose of this forum is to promote dialog among the various interlocutors, thereby broadening public understanding of the issues.  Listen from experts from the various points of view: for, against and in-between this important issue; a lively, informative, educational, insightful, even controversial forum –as our CHSS are.

AGF encourages answers or discussion among other on the following issues:

Ø       Free Trade agreements offer a great opportunity to expand trade in many ways, where everybody could benefit yet why do they fail to engage over 50 of the population of the involved Latin American countries into the economic spiral?

Ø       Why does Latin America continue immersed in historical under-productivity, under-employment, high poverty levels, huge and growing “Haves and Have-nots” gap; while governments, corporate America and others seem unable -unwilling- to overcome these and many other serious problems, which waste substantial human and economic resources every day?

Ø       Why do USTR and Latin American Official Negotiators reportedly protect primarily multinationals and their large business sectors?

Ø       Why have Hispanic Americans and Latin American disadvantaged sectors have been and continue ignored, excluded from the Free Trade Area negotiations process by the governments and official negotiators?

Ø       Capacity Building is critical among the under-productive and disadvantaged. How have been spent the reported over $146 million dollars for “Capacity Building” given by the US Government and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) over $500 million in “CAFTA-related operations” to those countries?

Ø       What has been and should be the role of USAID, DOS, DOC, DOD, IDB, OAS, and countries Ambassadors in these issues?

Learn about the opportunities and challenges CAFTA-DR offer, and how your businesses and family may benefit from CAFTA-DR, NAFTA, AFTA and other free trade agreements.

We remind you please block your agenda Wednesday, May 25, 2005 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM to participate on our Andean Free Trade Area (AFTA) Forum at the US Senate Hart Office Building, Room 902

Since the issues touch the lives of most of the peoples of the hemisphere, the event will be open to the public; it will be in English. Each participant needs to RSVP to vicpinzon@theamericas.org

Sponsorship   We invite corporate America and any entity to sponsor these two public forums. AGF believes these regional free trade agreements impact extends well beyond the specific geographic spaces to which they pertain and affect the course of free trade at the hemispheric and global levels; including the interests of business firms, consumers, and other economic agents in the United States and its trading partners. Your sponsorship would enable us to effectively add our input to this important process.

Audience
The forum should draw the public’s interest, including senior and staff officials of the US Congress, the White House and other government agencies, ambassadors, other diplomats and other foreign government officials, corporate executives, academics, scholars, students, and the media.

AGF thanks Dr. James Ferrer, Director and Mr. Rafael Marin of the Center for Latin American Issues at The George Washington University for their assistance in this forum.

Contact us and RSVP:  Ing. Victor Pinzon at Vicpinzon@theamericas.org

Americas Global Foundation:
930 M Street, NW Suite 609 Washington, DC 20001
202-371-9696   Fax: 202-216-9550   vicpinzon@theamericas.org    vicpinzon@yahoo.com
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