Guatemala’s Resolution Favors Costa Rica

THE Guatemalan Ministry of theEconomy appears to have resolved alengthy dispute with Costa Rica overdairy products with a decision that favorsCosta Rican producers, according to astatement from the Costa Rican ForeignTrade Ministry.The conflict began in 2004 whenGuatemalan authorities questionedwhether products from Costa Rican dairycooperative Dos Pinos met the legalrequirements necessary for the applicationof free-trade clauses from the GeneralTreaty of Central American EconomicIntegration. These authorities argued thatthe milk, milk derivatives and ice creamexported by Dos Pinos could not be consideredoriginal to Costa Rica.However, the Guatemalan ministry’sforeign-trade division has ruled the DosPinos products do meet the requirements.In the Costa Rican ministry’s statement,Vice-Minister of Trade AmparoPacheco said she is satisfied with thisconclusion to the dispute, and praised thejoint effort of her ministry, the GeneralCustoms Administration and Dos Pinos,as well as the Central AmericanMechanism for Conflict Resolution.