Portman and MCC Approve $215 Million Compact with Honduras

Oregon Wheat Grower's League ^ | 05/20/05

[hedgetrimmer]

OMAHA (DTN) -- U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman today joined the other members of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Board of Directors in approving a $215 million Compact with Honduras. The Compact will help the country maximize trade opportunities in the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and will improve lives of the rural poor by fostering economic growth.

"We are combining trade with aid to generate economic growth and reduce poverty," said Ambassador Rob Portman, who serves on the Board of the MCC. "The United States is committed to helping our Central American trade partners like Honduras make the most of the opportunities presented by free trade. An economically sound and democratically secure Central America is in our country's national interest."

A recent World Bank analysis showed that the implementation of CAFTA will raise the standard of living for the vast majority of the population. When combined with investments in education, rural infrastructure and rural finance, CAFTA will offer new opportunities to the rural poor.

The Honduras Compact provides significant funding for such programs.

This compact augments the discussion between the United States, Central America and the Dominican Republic in late April on trade capacity building initiatives in support of the free trade agreement. U.S. assistance stemming from this cooperative effort has increased from approximately $66 million in 2003 to an estimated $80 million in 2004. In addition, the MCC is working to finalize a compact with Nicaragua that also focuses on trade and rural areas.

This compact will be presented to the MCC's Board of Directors for approval in the near future.

[hedgetrimmer]

"We are combining trade with aid to generate economic growth and reduce poverty," said Ambassador Rob Portman"

CAFTA is NOT about tariffs!

[hedgetrimmer]

For your research.

[hedgetrimmer]

U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman, who also serves on the MCC board, said the Honduras compact would maximize the link between development and trade policy, adding that the proposed free-trade agreement between the United States and Central American countries and the Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR) would be a “powerful tool” to help reduce poverty through trade.

CAFTA would lower tariffs for food and other consumer products and thereby increase the standard of living of people in Honduras, Portman said. “The Honduran compact provides fertile soil that will allow the CAFTA opportunities to take root and to flourish,” according to the trade representative.

Currently, 64 percent of Hondurans live at the poverty level, Applegarth added. The trade agreement is expected to help reduce poverty, helping nations benefit broadly from free trade.

[Just A Nobody]

Thanks hedgetrimmer. I was DEEP into the belly of this thing last night. We have some SERIOUS problems.

[hedgetrimmer]

Something else I found. That George Soros open society institute along with USAID is organizing conferences for the OAS, on "creating work in the americas" which can be interpreted as "redistribtuing the wealth of the American people to south of the border".

The Summits of the Americas Secretariat moderated the forum dedicated to consultations with civil society which was scheduled for the second day of the SIRG meeting. The Executive Director of the Summits of the Americas Secretariat turned the floor over to Ambassador Rodolfo Gil, Permanent Representative of Argentina and Chair of the Committee on Summits Management and Civil Society Participation (CISC) of the Permanent Council of the OAS, who presented the recommendations of civil society organizations which were outcomes of the Round Table with Civil Society and the Special Session on the topic of the Fourth Summit: “Creating Work to Tackle Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance.” These events took place in Washington, D.C., on January 24-25, 2005 and were organized by the Summits of the Americas Secretariat, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Open Society Institute (OSI), and the Government of Argentina.

http://www.civil-society.oas.org/Events/XXXVII_SIRG/CS%20recommendations%20-%20SIRG%20-%203-10-05%20-%20CSO%20web%20site%20-%20english.doc

[Just A Nobody]

These events took place in Washington, D.C., on January 24-25, 2005 and were organized by the Summits of the Americas Secretariat, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Open Society Institute (OSI), and the Government of Argentina.

USAID + OSI = you have GOT to be kidding me?!?!

[hedgetrimmer]

Thats exactly what I thought. Then I remembered that our federal government has been utterly corrupted by the globalists.

[Just A Nobody]

Sleeping with the enemy, Soros. Frightening.

[monkeywrench]

""We are combining trade with aid to generate economic growth and reduce poverty," said Ambassador Rob Portman"

More corporate subsidies. Didn't they used to call this, "public private partnerships"?