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Arias signed the Free Treatment Agreement (TLC) and is waiting for the diary implementation

The TLC was signed yesterday like a law of the Republic, in attendant to see what happens with projects which approval is in the next months.
This will be necessary for the diary implementation of the commercial treatment which is managing in the other six signatory countries.

Oscar Arias carry out the requirement of sanction of the TLC with United States, Dominican Republic and Central America approved the 7th of October. The only thing missing is to be published in the official diary La Gaceta.

The treatment won’t have validity while projects of the diary implementation will not be done.

The celebration atmosphere that everybody felt yesterday in the act on the Presidential House, where the group of 38 deputies friendly faced 19 lawmakers opposed to plans law, including breaking the State monopoly of telecommunications and of insurance.

This is why Arias and his brother Rodrigo, Presidential Minister, point on their speeches the desirability of the opposition to permit an agile handling of the schedule implementation.

"It is not ethical opposition that is made against the will of the majority ... It’s only asks for democracy," Arias spoke to an auditorium full of figures who formed the Alliance for the YES in the referendum campaign.

The Government insists in 11 projects that are all ready in the Congress (not presented yet) and that should be approved before the 29th of February.
If this is not ready our country will be out of the TLC.

The Citizen Action Party (PAC), the main opposition, questioned that interpretation and the "lack of transparency" of the executive branch, was blamed for failing to explain the details and schedule of the implementing agenda.
There are also groups outside the Congress who have announced with street demonstrations the fight against the TLC agenda. This Monday 26th there is a programmed scheduled of the workers of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), supported by other groups.
The minister of Foreign Trade, Marco Vinicio Ruiz, said that today he will answer several questions raised by the PAC in a letter, "They doubtful made many questions with technical issues that must be answered carefully" he said.
Ruiz insists that the 29th February Costa Rica should have all the laws in a list due notice to the United States, the main trading partner of Costa Rica

Rodrigo Arias, however, said that at that time should be also ready the certification from the United States government, after reviewing the notification of Costa Rica.

Daniela Unfried
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