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VENEZUELA - Exiles can't sign for Chávez recall*** CARACAS - The National Electoral Council on Friday ruled that Venezuelans living abroad cannot sign petitions to recall President Hugo Chávez, in effect disenfranchising thousands of government opponents who live in South Florida.

The decision came after weeks of pleading by opposition leaders to allow Venezuelans abroad to participate in the Nov. 28-Dec. 1 signature drive.

Council vice president Ezequiel Zamora said three council members approved the ruling while the two others abstained, arguing the decision was unconstitutional. The council is made up of two pro-Chávez members, two opposition sympathizers and a ''neutral'' president.***

Working toward an integrated Americas - OUR OPINION: VISION OF A HEMISPHERIC FTAA IS A GOAL WORTH PURSUING Let's be clear. The pursuit of a Free Trade Area of the Americas, which continues in earnest this week in Miami, is an eminently worthwhile effort. But everyone should keep this much in mind: So far, there is no FTAA agreement. The Miami meeting is one in a long series of discussions. No one, not even negotiators, now knows what an FTAA might be in final form, nor should they state categorically what it will mean or do. We simply don't know. We can discuss FTAA goals and the process. But an actual trade agreement is, optimistically, more than a year away.

World is shrinking

By creating the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the United States and our hemispheric neighbors have a historic opportunity to shape open markets for our collective benefit. The 34 trade ministers meeting this week in Miami can play a pivotal role in moving the process forward. They must focus on the prosperity that an integrated hemispheric market could ultimately bring to each nation and work constructively through the disagreements that naturally exist.

The reality is that the world already is globalizing. No one can turn back that tide. Nor should they want to. Our best hope is to prepare for the inevitable future -- and do so before our economies are pounded by other trading blocs and low-cost China. We welcome discussion on how best to do so by all sides. Free speech is alive and well in Miami, and we should see it in many peaceful debates and demonstrations this week. It will include, for example, the participation for the first time of civil-society groups as a part of the official FTAA conference. The meeting also will be an opportunity for Miami to shine and remind visiting dignitaries of how good it would be for an FTAA headquarters to be located here, if there were to be an FTAA agreement -- even though site selection isn't a central focus of this week's agenda.

Ideally the FTAA could spur economic growth throughout the hemisphere. Industries and firms with strong competitive advantages would have ample opportunities to profit from access to the world's largest open marketplace: More than 800 million people in 34 countries, from Canada's Northwest Territories to Argentina's Patagonia. ***