Bush Departs Without a Deal
No Consensus on Reviving Regional Trade Agreement

By Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 6, 2005; Page A14

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina, Nov. 5 -- President Bush left a meeting of democratic leaders from the Western Hemisphere on Saturday hours before negotiators ended the summit without reaching an agreement on whether to revive talks on creating a regional free trade zone.

A senior administration official said two opposing views emerged at the summit: one favoring the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas while acknowledging that many challenges need to be addressed before a deal can be sealed, and another saying that the conditions do not yet exist to make an agreement viable.

The official said that some of the problems, including disputes over U.S. farm subsidies and fears among Latin leaders that the economies of smaller nations would be overwhelmed by the United States, could be addressed in upcoming World Trade Organization negotiations . . .

The pact, which Bush has maintained would help reduce poverty and boost economic growth, has drawn vehement opposition from some Latin leaders who say it would exacerbate large economic disparities across the region.

Five countries -- Venezuela, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina -- declined to take part in the negotiations. President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela called the free trade agenda an "imperialist" plan being foisted on the region by the United States . . .

The United States has encountered growing resistance in pushing its free trade agenda in recent years, as many countries in the region have voiced objections to what they say is unilateral U.S. foreign policy . . .

In an expanding global economy flush with capital, the United States should be able to get movement on free trade agreements in the Western Hemisphere. Such agreements tend to come during the flush times, not the hard ones.

The inability of the Bush Administration to get any movement here, while China continues to expand its trade and investment presence in the region, is a bad sign.

We have a little more than three years of the Bush post-presidency. At this rate a lot of potential deals may go by the wayside unless Bush finds a way to get back in the game and stop treading water.