MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bush lobbying strongly for “pro-jobs” Cafta

Facing continued political resistance in the Lower House, United States President George W. Bush took his defense of the Central American Free Trade Agreement directly to the industrial heartland with a visit on Friday to a textile factory in North Carolina.

Textile workers and House representatives in North Carolina are divided on the merits of the agreement which would reduce trade barriers with the five Central American countries (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic) with only House representative Sue Myrick in favour.

"In 2004 North Carolina exported more than 1.7 billion US dollars of manufactured goods to Cafta nations, most of it textiles and apparel. Without Cafta, the market for these textiles in Central American would likely disappear," Mr Bush said at Gaston College.

Mr Bush also met at the White House with Antonio Saca, president of El Salvador one of the countries in the agreement and widened the case for Cafta to foreign policy concerns.

"Cafta is important foreign policy. It will help stabilise democracies and will help our friends grow and prosper." Although the bill was approved by the Senate by 54 to 45 votes, the margin was the smallest on any trade agreement in the last 40 years and Mr. Bush called on Congress to pass Cafta: "It's a pro-jobs bill. It's a pro-growth bill." Trent Duffy, White House spokesman, said he expected a vote on the issue before the August recess.

"That's what the President is hoping they will do, and we continue to feel confident about Cafta's chances in the House".

Mr Duffy said there were continued efforts to persuade undecided Republicans to back the bill, with more than 190 of the 202 House Democrats expected to oppose it.

"The president has had one if not two events each week to bring in members of Congress," he said. "He has met with a handful of Republican members just this week at the White House. . . . It's one of his top priorities".

He declined to comment on whether the president backed efforts to toughen US trade enforcement against China, which could help to facilitate support for Cafta.

President Bush is also punching with the strategic argument given the growing influence of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who recently created Petrocaribe, a regional energy company to supply cheap oil to neighbouring countries including his buddy Fidel Castro.