Alliance for Responsible Trade

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA November 2007

Dear Congressional Representatives,

The Costa Rican Patriotic Committees emerged spontaneously in all of Costa Rica -without any association to political parties or personal interests- to oppose CAFTA, since it is detrimental to our country and society.

As representatives of such committees, and other organizations that joined forces in defense of democracy, legality, sovereignty, human rights and freedom in Costa Rica, we address you, representatives of the North American people, birthplace of democracy in America, to expose the truth about the referendum celebrated in our country on October 7^th of this year.

For the first time, our people were called to decide about a proposed law. For the first time, the power to legislate would be directly exerted by the people, and for the first time in Latin America, the approval or rejection of a trade agreement with the United States would be a decided by the citizen's will, expressed in the ballot boxes.

With even more reason then, the election should have been made, but was not, by means of "authentic" elections, according to what all international human right's pacts explicitly declare, since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).

"Authentic" means absence of coercion and without improper disadvantages for any of the participants, according to what the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has repeatedly said. For example, its Report about the conditions in which the Constitution of Chile was submitted to a plebiscite, in 1980, and its 1983-1984 Report regarding government intervention in the electoral process of Nicaragua.

Advantages and coercion

Regretfully this did not happen. Instead, the government established completely unbalanced conditions against those of us who opposed the agreement. It involved itself as another participant in the process, even though the Constitution prohibits it; it promoted and allowed economic resources that were a hundred times greater for those favoring the agreement; and, taking advantage of its dominant position, recurred to all kind of pressures to force the citizen's will.

Intimidation

The worst came at the end when, facing evidence that in spite of everything "No" would win, the government resorted to open intimidation of the electorate to secure a "Yes" vote, with direct cooperation from the White House, and the U.S Ambassador here in Costa Rica.

This way, the most vulnerable or impressionable sectors of the population, were terrorized with the imminent loss of their jobs and their future to make them vote "Yes". The election was vicious, both by the deceit that nulls the intention, as well as by fear, that nulls freedom. As a result, the Costa Rican and American people were tricked by the authorities of the executive branches of both countries.

The intervention of the Costa Rican authorities and certain entrepreneurial groups in the process previous to the referendum, appealed to threats and lies to accomplish the approval of the "agreed text". Threats to lose jobs (massive dismissals), of losing foreign investment, of missing "the train of development", of "being taken by the Devil", if the agreement was not approved, were spilled in every corner of the country by Ministers, Mayors, managers and even by the President of the Republic.

Lies spoke about prosperity, wealth, labor opportunities and education, welfare for all Costa Ricans, which are not the subjects of any of the chapters of the Agreement. False threats were repeatedly issued about the expiration of the benefits of the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) and the absolute impossibility of renegotiating the terms of the Agreement.

When this illustrate Congress clarified that none of this was true, the lies and the threats where supported by means of the diligent intervention of Ambassador Langdale, of Susan Schwab and of President Bush, who in the two days of truce before the referendum, made public statements warning Costa Rica about the ill-fated consequences of the rejection of the Agreement; these statements were incessantly spread out by the government.

This is how, in the last moment, Costa Rican citizens were bullied and intimidated to bias the result in favor of "Yes", since the surveys immediately before indicated a difference of twelve points in favor of "No". In this way a clear case of coercion and terror took place against a peaceful nation that has always been a friend of the great nation you represent.

Therefore, the electoral result - three points in favor of "Yes"- was not the expression of popular free will, which annuls it, in addition to making it a transgression of internationally recognized human rights. For that reason it cannot be recognized for its own internal purposes by this Congress, that represents the American people, and their high and true values, which are not the ones prevailing in the White House at the present time.

Invalid Object

In addition, the results of the referendum are invalid because CAFTA was NOT approved as signed by all parts and approved by the Congress of the United States.

What was submitted to ballot was the ‘agreed text' from the Special Committee for International Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Legislative Assembly, in other words one of three reports on the CAFTA Agreement that was emitted by five official Representatives, out of the fifty-seven that integrate our Congress.

This report was never voted on and contains an expression of governmental will to influence the electorate, in violation of the obligation to impartiality during the elections which the Constitution of Costa Rica imposes on public authorities. Also, the report adds modifications to the Agreement, hiding its real impacts, even when the signed Agreement, explicitly prohibits changes: it is either accepted or rejected, as is.

Furthermore, an ‘agreed text' by the mentioned Committee DOES NOT EXIST: THREE REPORTS were emitted, none of which were presented to, approved by, nor ‘agreed' to by the Legislative Assembly.

In other words, in examining the actual ballots, a NON-EXISTANT object was submitted to vote in the referendum in Costa Rica, rather than the actual text agreed to by both governments and approved by the Congress of the United States. Thus the Costa Rican electors were deceived, because the true extent and implications of the Agreement were manipulated.

Detrimental

Even if the Free Trade Agreement were considered approved, something legally impossible because of the reasons above mentioned, it is an international agreement that seriously harms Costa Rican rights, because:

a. It grants abusive privileges to foreign investors, prohibited in the United States, placing national investors in disadvantage.

b. It includes regulations about patents (medicines, agrochemicals, seeds and other vegetable species) that would monopolize and increase prices of these products. In this way it threatens health, social and food security, and prevents the application of the current solidarity and social justice principles in Costa Rica, that have allowed our country to flourish and have an advanced position in the world.

c. It equally injures our national sovereignty in its capacity to dispose and manage its national resources and public services.

d. It affects labor rights by allowing the application of minimal standards inferior to those established by the Costa Rican legislation and the ILO agreements.

e. It establishes limitations to the Costa Rican government to legislate and apply laws relative to public interest and common welfare.

This Congress already explicitly acknowledged the above in identical treaties with Colombia and Peru, when it ordered further corrections and negotiations to prevent such actions, which affect also the working people of the United States by allowing unfair competition.

In short, what has been done regarding the referendum, and what is intended to be imposed, rides roughshod over our dignity as human beings, ignores our condition of citizens of a free and independent Republic, violates the authority of our Congress and the great principles on which the United States stands on. In any case, the demeaning clauses of this Agreement that were introduced in contempt of the bipartisan US Trade Promotion Authority Act No. 107-210, or Fast Track, affects both our countries.

Therefore, we respectfully request this Honorable Congress to reject the alleged approval of CAFTA by the people of Costa Rica.

ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT THIS LETTER:

Comité Patriótico de Hatillo

Comité Granadilla Curridabat

Comité Patriótico Curridabat

Comité Patriótico San Francisco de Dos Ríos

Comité Patriótico Distrito El Carmen San José

Comité Patriótico San Antonio de Desamparados

Comité Patriótico Jericó, Desamparados

Comité Patriótico Patarra, Desamparados

Comité Patriótico de San Josecito de Alajuelita

Comité Patriótico de Alajuelita

Comité Patriótico de Colonia Kennedy

Comité Patriótico de Santa Ana

Comité Patriótico de Goicoechea

Comité Patriótico de Tibás

Comité Patriótico de Moravia

Comité Patriótico La Trinidad - Moravia

Comité Patriótico de San Vicente, Moravia

Comité Patriótico Juventud Moravia

Comité Patriótico de Zapote

Comité Patriótico de Coronado

Comité Patriótico de San Rafael de Montes de Oca

Comité Patriótico Lourdes de Montes de Oca

Comité Patriótico San Pedro de Montes de Oca-UCR

Comité Patriótico Montes de Oca

Comité Patriótico Purral

Comité Patriótico de Cartago

Comité Patriótico La Unión

Comité Patriótico Tres Ríos

Comité Patriótico de Heredia

Comité Patriótico de San Isidro de Heredia

Comité Patriótico de Barva de Heredia

Comité Patriótico de San Domingo

Comité Patriótico de Santa Bárbara de Heredia

Comité Patriótico de San Josecito de San Isidro de Heredia

Comité Patriótico de San Isidro de Heredia

Comité Patriótico de San Miguel

Comité Patriótico de Barva

Comité Patriótico de San Pablo Barva

Comité Patriótico de Perez Zeledón

Comité Patriótico de Pocosol San Carlos

Comité Patriótico de Liberia

Comité Patriótico Diriá Santa Cruz, Guanacaste

Comité Patriótico de Limón

Comité Patriótico de Puntarenas

Comité Patriótico Cóbano Los Chiles

Comité Patriótico Hospital San Juan de Dios

Comité Patriótico Turrúcares

Comité Patriótico Cebadilla

Comité Patriótico de Mozotal

Comité Patriótico de San Mateo

Comité Patriótico de Naranjo

Comité Patriótico de Orotina

Coordinadora Alajuelense Juan Santa María

Coordinadora Ramonense de Lucra Contra el TLC

Coordinadora Regional Huetar Norte

Coordinadora Regional Norte San José

AFITEC

Asociación Nacional de Empleados Públicos

Costa Rica Solidaria

FLCTLC

Frente Nacional Campesino

Frente Patriótico Escazuceño

Frente Popular contra el TLC Cacique Guarco

Frente UCR, contra TLC

Movimiento No Violencia

Movimiento Social Demócrata

Movimiento Social Demócrata Contra TLC PLN

Movimiento Reforma Agraria

Movimiento Est. Alternativo

Mujeres de Blanco

SIPROCEICE

SITRAINA

ORIGINAL DOCUMENT SIGNED BY:

Rigoberto Abarca Morales - Gerardo Aguila León - Manuel Aguilar C. Francisco Aguilar García - Raúl Alvarado S.- Walter Antillón Montealegre Leonor Antillón Sargent - Juan Arriaga Mora - Rocío Araya Arrieta Rolando Araya Monge - Fernando Arias A. - Laura Arias Cabrera Grettel Arias González. - Kateherine Arias G. - Gerardo Badilla A. Trino Barrantes M. - José Luis Bertone - Jorge Bulgarelli Mónica Calderón S. - Carlos Campos - Carlos Manuel Campos Méndez Óscar Campos M. - Óscar Campos O. - Marcos M. Carazo S. Greivin Chavarría Bolaños - Cynthia Crespo Campos - Antonio Gerardo Castro H. Gerardo Contreras - Liria Cordero Gené - Jorge Corrales B. Maritza Chávez Cruz - Enid Cruz Ramírez - Leonidas De la O. A. Iris De la Paz D. - Isabel Ducca Durán - Teresita Durán Carrillo Esteban Echeverría - Alvaro F. Morales - Flora Fernández Yamilette Fontana Coto - Catarina Gaddoni R. - Jorge Gamboa Quirós Enid González - Luis Gonzalo Mateo - Célimo Guido Cruz José Antonio Hernández - Víctor Manuel Hernández - Mauricio Hernández C. Johnnatan Hernández Foseca - Guido Hernández M. - Augusto Incer Arias Eugenia Jiménez M. - Vilma Leandro Zúñiga - Mario E. León Rojas Sandra López A.- Carlos Martinez F. - Luis Mata - Jorge Luis Mayorga Esquivel Alejandra Méndez Garita - Claudio Monge Pereira - Juan de Dios Monge Pereira Carolina Montero - Alvaro Montero Mejía - Patricia Mora - Pablo Morales A. Arturo Morales Chavarría - José Morales M. - Manuel Morales Vásquez Franciso Morera Alfaro - Gilbert Muñoz Salazar - Heidy Murillo Quesada Marcela Naranjo Segura - Sara Obando Cantón - Leticia Olguín Raymi Padilla Vargas - Miguel Picado - Ana María Quirós R. Gerardo Quirós Jiménez - Jeannette Quesada - José Rafael Quesada J. Luz Hannia Rojas Conejo - Jeannette Román González - Luis Salas Sankis Carlos Luis Salazar Alvarado - Ismael Salas Cortés - Alberto Salom Marta Sánchez - Jason Sánchez Acuña - Héctor Solano Ch. Victor Solano Gutiérrez - Eduardo E. Solís P. - Sonia Solís U. - Eugenia Suárez U. César Toruño Arguedas - Fernando Traña Castillo - Eugenio Trejos Benavidez Franciso Ulloa P. - Julio Varela Castro - Irene Varela Rojas - Sonia Vargas A. Elena Villalobos J. - Maddy Zamora - Rigoberto Zamora Rojas