The truckers are demanding the release of the trucks confiscated by police in the early hours of Wednesday morning, when police used force to remove the blockades that choked the Central Valley and the rest of the country.

Most of the confiscations occurred in the area of Ochomogo, where 40 trucks were confiscated by police at that one location.

However, the government is insisting that it cannot influence the Poder Judicial - the judicial courts. The matter is the hands of the courts and the Executive branch - the government - cannot tell the Judicial branch - the courts - what to do.

While union negotiators and trucker representatives continue dialogue with the government, truckers are still blocking some routes along the Interamerican highway and other routes leading to the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

Road blocks at San Ramon continued all day yesterday, stopping all traffic movement between Puntarenas and Guanacaste with the Central Valley. Roadblocks at San Mateo, the road that leads to Jacó Beach and Quepos were also reported blocked.

Unconfirmed reports also said that road blocks were in places like Siquirres and Matina, the route to Limon and Perez Zeledon, in route to the southern zone.

Marjorie Lizano, spokesperson for the truckers, told television news teams covering the conference, that the government had committed itself to having the trucks released.

However, moments later, Ricardo Toledo, Minister for the Presidency, said that they cannot do what is not in their power, as the decision does not depend on them. Toledo told the press that "we will do all we can".

The meeting was attended by the various union leaders that decided to join the trucker's movement on Thursday, representatives of the truckers and along with Toledo, Javier Chaves, Minister of Transport, Ovidio Pacheco, Minister of Labour and Randall Quirós, Vice Minister to the Presidency.

The Ministry for the Presidency said that those groups interested in negotiating a settlement to the situation are: la Cámara Costarricense de Transportistas Unitarios, la Cámara de Transportistas, Trasportadora Díaz y Cordero S. A., la Cámara Nacional de Autobuseros, la Cámara Nacional de Transportistas de Carga, el Foro Nacional de Taxistas and la Asociación Nacional del Sector Empresarial Automotriz, who groups the country's auto mechanics.

At the root of the protest is the request by the truckers to annul the Riteve contract, the company that has the exclusive contract for all vehicular technical revision in Costa Rica.

Truckers say that Riteve is too onerous on them and that their strict adherence to the rules don't reflect the poor road conditions in Costa Rica. Also, they say that Riteve is a "private monopoly" and that is not permitted under Costa Rica's constitution.

The government counters that Riteve is only providing services under a 10 year contract and that it's the Ministerio de Obras Publica y Transporte (MOPT) that sets the rules and requirements that Riteve applies.

Minster Chavez told truckers that the MOPT will be closely looking the operations and practices of Riteve and make the necessary changes and that the MOPT has given Riteve orders to change some of the 550 items on the inspections list from "grave" - serious deficiencies to "leve" or minor deficiencies.

However, Chavez told the truckers that the MOPT will not compromise on vehicle safety and the contamination of the environment.

The other question that the truckers had wanted answered was to the ownership of Riteve SyA. It was confirmed last night that the vehicle inspection company is made up of two partners - 55% of the company held by Spanish interests, and 45% held by Alajuela businessman, Marvin Herrera Alvarado - who along with the Spanish owners and his family members make up the Riteve board of directors.

Herrera is also owner of the bus transportation company TUASA who has the concession route Alajuela to San José. The TUASA buses are the "red" buses that run from downtown Alajuela to downtown San José, in competition with the "beige" buses operated by Station Wagon Alajuela, who provides services along the same route. Herrear is believed to have resigned from the TUASA board of directors and day to day management of the bus company when he took interest in Riteve.

Meanwhile, union leaders are protesting the governments recent increase in public salaries and that the legislature not pass the free trade agreement - Tratado Libre de Comercio - that Costa Rica, along with the other Central American countries and the Dominican Republic has signed with the United States. The agreemenent is known as CAFTA - Central America Free Trade Agreement. In Costa Rica it is being referred to as the
TLC.