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Non-Tech : The ENRON Scandal -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Raymond Duray who wrote (3629)	3/24/2002 10:14:44 PM
From: Skywatcher	Respond to of 5185

lsewhere in the capital, thousands of peasants, union workers and students marched peacefully to protest proposals of free trade between Central America and the United States as an exploitation of cheap labor. "I see a free-trade agreement as a fight between a trussed-up donkey and a free lion," said Margarita Posada, one of the march organizers. "They come to offer us roads, modern airports and ports just to transport goods to big multinational companies." Central America was shattered by civil wars in recent decades, and the U.S. involvement in them caused deep resentment. Some protesters at the march carried signs blaming the United States for the 70,000 dead in El Salvador's 12-year civil war between leftist rebels and the U.S.-backed government, which ended in 1992. Now El Salvador is a success story in a region where most of the 35 million people live in poverty, and other nations are having trouble overcoming their violent pasts. "For millions of Salvadorans, violence was a daily reality and prosperity was just a distant dream. Today, El Salvador is at peace," Bush said. SEEKING TO REASSURE ON TRADE At the news conference, Bush sought to reassure Central America of his interest in a Central American free-trade agreement. Many in the region had hoped he would use the El Salvador visit to announce a new stage of more formal talks. Bush made no such announcement, simply repeating his promise to work for the pact. "We intend to push as hard as we possibly can to get the trade agreement done. I was very serious when I announced the trade agreement, and we're going to work hard to expedite the agreement," he said. Bush's free-trade policy is bogged down in the U.S. Senate, which has refused so far to approve giving him enhanced authority to negotiate free-trade deals due to disputes over labor and environmental standards in such agreements. CC