ISDS Case Map
Honduras
Prime Minister Stephen Harper boasted Friday that Canada's new free trade deal with Honduras will help that crime-ridden country emerge from poverty and political chaos, adding that his opponents are just "selfish" trade protectionists.
As Prime Minister Stephen Harper continues his Latin America tour amid global market chaos, he is making stops in countries he hopes will expand Canada’s trade and make it less dependent on the turbulent U.S. economy.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada plans to visit Honduras on August 12 to meet with President Porfirio Lobo. The trip, which is part of a tour to Latin America, which includes stops in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and lastly Honduras, will focus on developing economic and security ties and promoting democracy.
Representatives of the governments of Mexico and the Central American countries wrapped up a fifth round of talks on a regional free trade agreement last week. The negotiations took place in Mexico City, with the next round of talks to be held in August in El Salvador.
Last week Canadian negotiators met with their Honduran counterparts in Tegucigalpa to discuss a free trade agreement (FTA).
Honduran shrimp exports to the Community market are expected to increase by 15 per cent as part of the association agreement signed between the European Union and Central America.
The elections and investiture of Porfirio Lobo as President of Honduras have cleared the way for the EU to restore normal relations with the Central American country and negotiations for signing a bi-regional Association Agreement may soon resume.
On January 7, hundreds of Hondurans risked violent repression by the police and military to protest outside the national parliament building against the coup regime’s decision to withdraw the country from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA).
The Honduran Congress, which is dominated by supporters of self-styled "interim president" Roberto Micheletti, voted 123 to five late on Tuesday to end co-operation with Cuba and Venezuela under the the ALBA Peoples' Trade Treaty.
Meredith Aby, of the Anti-War Committee and the Colombia Action Network, explained the root of the coup, "While in office Zelaya took some strong stands to help his people, like increasing the minimum wage and standing with ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America) against the US's free trade agenda in the region."
