Although formal discussion of the products to be included in the deal have not begun, the Central American negotiators say they are hoping for an asymmetric solution. So far their northern neighbor has proposed the inclusion of 180 Mexican exports versus 450 from Central America. The slow pace of the negotiations is reportedly not a problem. What we want is a free trade agreement that benefits the region and doesn't harm our industries. The next round of talks is set for June 21 in Mexico City.
Negotiators hope to cinch the deal before the end of the year.
An international watchdog group reported this week that while Guatemala is making some headway towards the social development and gender equity goals laid down at international conferences three years ago, progress is not enough to reach the targets set out there. The report is was prepared by Social Watch, a group of nongovernmental organizations that monitors the progress of the different nations that participated in the 1995 World Summit on Social Development in Denmark and the Fourth World Women's Congress held in China the same year in meeting the commitments made there. One hundred and thirty countries come annually under Social Watch's scrutiny, but this year 15, including Guatemala, received special attention. Each country report is based on information from Social Watch member-groups active in the country, not through visits by foreign delegations. The emphasis on processing a report built 'from the bottom up' is social Watch's distinguishing feature.