Anti-CAFTA Summit Quietly Postponed

DURING an April 14 summit ofsocial groups opposed to the CentralAmerican Free-Trade Agreement withthe United States (CAFTA), leadersannounced a threefold plan for takingtheir cause to the streets: a large SanJosé march on May 1 and smaller eventsacross the country on May 16, all buildingup to a Central America-wide summitMay 27-29. This final event, to beheld in San José, would unite CAFTAopponents from across the region, organizerssaid.However, the promised summit datesof May 27-29 came and went with nosign of any meetings or protests.Albino Vargas, Secretary General ofthe National Association of Public andPrivate Employees (ANEP), said Mondaythat the summit was postponed “becauseof the circumstances of each country. . .the social struggles, relations with thegovernments, and what is happening(with CAFTA) in the United States.”