The Central American Free-Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the USA, which was scheduled to to take center stage at the Legislative Assesbly this week, looks as though it will be, again, delayed. This is due to the reprint, that was instructed to be carried out by the National Printer, of the hefty 2,000 page pact and all of the accompanying texts, that was ordered and must be completed before the debate can begin.

The official government daily La Gaceta must now republish the agreement, which was also voted for by the assembly's Foreign Affairs Commission, again along with all approved interpretive statements and supporting and apposing opinions. The Printer stated that the enormous publication is scheduled for Jan 26th, and it is therefore unlikely that the debate will begin before February.

The first publication of the agreement is said to have cost the national printer almost $70,000, and it has been predicted that the reprint, along with all supporting material, could cost around double that.

First time round, only a small number of copies, 1500, were printed, down from the normal batch size of 4,000, which is said to have made it hard for people in remote areas to gain access to the document, and subsequently make gaining an understanding of it very difficult. This was challanged by legislator Alberto Salom of the Citizen Action Party (PAC), but to no success, with the court rejecting his claim.

Once the details of the new printing are released, Salom may wish to again raise his issue with the court.