El Salvador’s president gives talk on trade policy

The President of El Salvador, Elías Antonio Saca Gonzáles, spoke about trade policy to a packed audience of policy-makers, students and faculty at an event sponsored Monday, Sept. 19 by the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies.

President Randel, Susan Mayer, Dean of the Harris School, and Chicago First Lady Maggie Daley introduced President Saca with their welcoming remarks.

Elected in 2004, Saca supported the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, which passed the U.S. Congress by a razor-thin margin earlier this year. The pact, which eases trade barriers between the United States and Latin America, pits unionized workers who fear job losses against U.S. businesses seeking lower tariffs on goods.

Saca said he hopes CAFTA will spur a broader Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement to include more of the hemisphere. He also addressed rising oil prices and the exclusion of middle-income countries from decision-making at the United Nations.

The talk is the first in a series the Harris School is developing with dignitaries from Latin American countries.