Home>News Center>World
         
 

Bush promotes trade at Americas Summit
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-04 20:45

Bush has acknowledged that the FTAA, which was once one of his highest trade priorities, has stalled. Thomas Shannon, the new assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, said aboard Air Force One on the flight to Argentina that the U.S. is still promoting the FTAA even though it has been "slowed down," but also is pursuing regional and bilateral agreements to move the president's free trade agenda.

Bush is highlighting his success by gathering first thing Friday with leaders of Central American nations involved in a recently approved trade pact with the United States. Later in the day, Bush has one-on-one meetings with the president of Chile, which negotiated a bilateral trade agreement with the U.S., and the host of the summit, Argentine President Nestor Kirchner.

Bush and an outspoken critic, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, were likely to meet Friday, shortly after Chavez's speech to a demonstration of mostly anti-Bush protesters. Chavez has joked about whether Bush is afraid of him and said he might sneak up and scare Bush at the summit.

Chavez has said he would use the meeting as a stage to denounce the U.S. as a "capitalist, imperialist model" of democracy that exploits the economies of developing nations.

Bush's trip comes as he faces the lowest job approval ratings of his presidency back home.

Argentina's economy is recovering faster than many leading analysts expected, in part because of a boom in exports. But the country still suffers from double-digit unemployment and high poverty.

Bush applauded Kirchner, the populist leader who was elected in the political upheaval that followed the economic collapse, for being a good steward of the people's money. But he said Kirchner shouldn't look to the United States to help Argentina reach a new financial settlement with the International Monetary Fund.

"Since he has proven himself to be capable of performing, it seems like to me that the best policy ought to be for the Argentine government to deal directly with the IMF, without the U.S. having to be a middleman," Bush said earlier this week.
Page: 123



US pays last respect to Rosa Parks with mourn and sangs
Riots in Paris suburb
Holy month of Ramadan ends
 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

New bird flu outbreak confirmed in Liaoning

 

   
 

Sino-Russian energy links to expand

 

   
 

China urges EU to 'trash' arms embargo

 

   
 

Number of billionaires triples to 10

 

   
 

US plan paints frightening bird flu picture

 

   
 

Bush's ratings sink over war, court

 

   
  Bush promotes trade at Americas Summit
   
  Alito hearings, vote set for January
   
  Cheney aide pleads not guilty in CIA leak case
   
  Paris riots gain dangerous momentum
   
  Vietnam takes steps to head off flu pandemic
   
  Chavez aims to challenge Bush on trade
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement