Brasília, 3/29/2004 – The Brazilian co-president of Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations, Ademar Bahadian, says that the negotiations will not make progress if the participants "continue to take a fundamentalist approach." Bahadian made his remark upon returning from talks in Washington for an agreement on what is known as an FTAA light, or minimal proposal. At the meeting, Bahadian and Peter Algeier, the US co-president, agreed on a minimal negotiating proposal based on agreements made at the FTAA Miami meeting. Thus, negotiations will take place in two stages: first, a set of common rules for all 34 countries [all the countries in the Americas, less Cuba]; second, "deeper multilateral negotiations" in accordance with the aims of each subgroup within FTAA.

"A possible FTAA at this moment must respect the situation in countries that are unable to negotiate certain items at this time. The agreement reached in Miami must be respected," declared Bahadian.

According to Bahadian, the present problem is that "some countries continue to maintain a fundamentalist posture with regard to certain issues." He refused to cites names, but declared that "the nations of South America are making demands our neighbors from North America cannot meet, and vice versa."

The explanation seems to be that while Brazil and Argentina insist on an end to farm subsidies in the United States, the United States insists on decisions in the areas of intellectual property and government procurement. The problem being that each side in only interested in its own proposal and is not interested in the other's proposal.

"Either we move ahead based on Miami, or we will wind up bogged down with an agreement that has 7,000 paragraphs," says Bahadian.

Tomorrow the two co-presidents will present their proposal to representatives of 12 countries at a meeting in Buenos Aires, which will be preparatory to the 17th Trade Negotiating Committee meeting scheduled for Puebla, Mexico. (translator: Allen Bennett)