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Pacheco Responds to
Nicaragua Over La Carpio
Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco responded to criticism from the
Nicaraguan government about a police raid last Friday in La Carpio.
He said that the Costa Rican authorities were looking for criminals and were
careful to protect the rights of Nicaraguan citizens.
La Carpio is home to more than 50,000 people, and Costa Rican authorities
estimate that more than 85% of the residents are Nicaraguans.
Last Friday, Costa Rican authorities descended on the neighbourhood in the
early hours of the morning and more than 600 people were questioned. 73
Nicaraguans were detained and 22 were deported.
On Monday the Nicaraguan Chancellery sent a formal complaint to the Costa
Rican government for an explanation of their actions and the possible
violation of human rights against Nicaraguan nationals living in Costa Rica.
U.S. Lifts Ban on Costa
Rican Shrimp
The State Department lifted bans on Honduras and Costa Rica on January 26,
finding that the two countries had improved sea turtle protection in their
fishing industries.
The United States bars imports when commercial shrimp fish boats fail to use
"sea turtle excluder devices" to prevent the accidental drowning of sea
turtles in shrimp trawls.
On the same day the Sate Department added Nigeria to the ban list saying
that
Nigeria no longer met the US requirements for protecting turtles while
harvesting shrimp commercially.
Brazil's FTAA "Light"
Tough Sell in Puebla
BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil is facing a challenge from fellow Latin
American nations over its "light" version of an Americas-wide free trade
pact and may be forced to expand it to prevent talks reaching an impasse.
At a meeting in Puebla, Mexico, this week, nations like Chile, Mexico and
Costa Rica pushed Brazil for a more far-reaching basic accord so they can
reap benefits from free trade deals they entered or will enter with the
United States.
All sides are lobbying for support from Andean nations which are swing votes
in the struggle over the speed and scale at which nations expose industries
to free trade.
"The Brazilians have always over-estimated the support other Latin countries
would give in this process," said Ricardo Camargo Mendes, an analyst with
the Prospectiva International Relations consulting firm in Sao Paulo.
"They'll probably lean toward a more inclusive deal."
Washington wants to set up a trading bloc stretching from Alaska to Tierra
del Fuego by next January. Brazil, South America's biggest economy, has had
severe disagreements with the United States over aspects of the so-called
Free Trade Area of the Americas.
At a meeting in Miami last November the two worked out a compromise over
Brazilian complaints the accord discriminated against its strong farm
exports and benefited U.S. industries like technology and investment.
The Puebla gathering of deputy ministers is the first high-level meeting to
work on the FTAA since the U.S. urged compromise in Miami to prevent talks
from collapsing.
Good Start for Costa
Rica at Pre-Olympics
Costa Rica scored three times as their U-23 team set the pace in the
CONCACAF pre-Olympic qualifying tournament which began group play on Monday
at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara,
Mexico.
In the early match, Costa Rica erased a scoreless first half with a three
goal rush in the second, including two in a five minute span by defender Roy
Myrie, and the capper in extra time by 90th minute substitution Leonarda
Araya, as "Los Ticos" defeated Jamaica 3-0.
Also in Group B, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago played to 1-1 at the
halftime, but the hosts sharpened their attack in the second as three
different players scored for a 3-1 final.
Group A begins play today at Estadio "3 de Marzo" in Guadalajara as Canada
take on Honduras, and USA faces Panama. The pre-Olympic tournament continues
through Feb. 12th, when the winners of each four-team group will play second
place from the opposing group.
The winners of those two matches will advance as CONCACAF's representatives
to the Olympic games to be held in Athens this summer.
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Armed Children
Easy access to small arms following armed conflicts in Guatemala and El
Salvador has exacerbated violence in those countries, with children being
the main victims, United Nations Secretary Kofi Annan said.
Some 370 children and young people under 23 were killed in Guatemala City in
the first half of 2003, according to a recent UN report. Of them, more than
100 were street children under 18.
Annan said that the impact of wars on children goes much further and as an
example he mentioned Colombia, where a growing number of children are
displaced from the countryside by the internal war and converted into
victims of arbitrary executions.
Julia Freedson, coordinator of New York-based Watchlist, an international
network of organizations that defend the rights of children in armed
conflicts, demanded that the machinery of the United Nations be employed to
protect children adequately and that the Security Council “take decisive
action.”
Cuban Economy Stalled
The Cuban economy continues in difficulties, unable to develop and satisfy
long-standing needs.
Although the Cuban economy grew 2.6 percent in 2003, an improvement over 1.1
percent growth the previous year, the expansion is vastly insufficient to
satisfy the needs of the population.
“Food prices are very high, excessive for the salaries of the population,”
said Mario Gutiérrez, a 55-year-old Havana resident. “The state guarantees a
meager basket of foodstuffs monthly that includes six pounds of rice, one
pound of beans, six pounds of sugar, some salt, half a pound of oil, eight
eggs and a pound of chicken for each person.”
Convention Against Corruption
After two years of negotiations, the Convention Against Corruption was
signed by delegates of nearly 100 member countries of the United Nations
meeting in Merida, Mexico.
The text contains 71 articles that will be a guide for an all-out war
against corruption which has a strong impact on the economies of the
countries. According to Daniel Kauffmann of the World Bank, corruption moves
funds equivalent to 5 percent of Gross Domestic Product of the planet.
On Dec. 9 - International Day Against the Fight Against Corruption -
94 countries signed the convention. Nevertheless, this instrument will only
take effect a year after it is ratified by the legislatures of more than 30
countries.
The convention requires the countries to typify paying a bribe as a criminal
offense and take measures to prevent corruption, besides making possible the
recovery of stolen funds.
Although the majority of Latin American countries signed the convention,
some of those considered “money-laundering paradises “ such as Bahamas and
Cayman Islands, still have not done so, neither have Belize, Honduras nor
Uruguay.
For Transparency International, headquartered in Germany, Latin America
“continues being perceived as one of the most corrupt - if not the most
corrupt - regions of the world."
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