US President George W. Bush, in a speech to a General Assembly session of the Organization of the American States here in the southern US State of Florida on Monday, urged the US Congress to pass the Central American and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

Bush said that the CAFTA can open up a market of millions of consumers for the United States if it is ratified by the Congress.

Moreover, the CAFTA can bring new investments and make the economy in the region more competitive, Bush said.

"I urge the Congress to pass it," said Bush, complaining that US products are facing "hefty tariffs" when they enter other countries' markets in the hemisphere.

In his weekly radio address on Saturday, Bush said that the CAFTA would lower barriers in sectors such as textile, which he said would make US manufacturers more competitive in the global market.

Bush has been calling on the Congress to ratify the CAFTA. However, the Democrats and some Republicans in the Congress are against the CAFTA as they claim the free trade agreement might harm US economy and market.

Source: Xinhua