“We congratulate the Nicaraguan government for passing the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement.

“They now join El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and the United States in approving the CAFTA-DR.

"We have met with representatives of the CAFTA-DR governments recently and we are working towards a target date of January 1, 2006, for implementing this agreement.

“This agreement levels the playing field for American workers, farmers and businesses, expands choices for consumers and strengthens democracies with our neighbors.”

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