Chávez Allegedly Closing Aluminum Plant in Costa Rica
Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, is allegedly closing an aluminum processing plant Venezuela operates in Costa Rica because he is at odds with his Costa Rican counterpart, Oscar Arias, who has slashed out at the Venezuelan ruler, the daily Spanish newspaper La Nación reported, as quoted by AFP.

According to La Nación, workers with Venezuelan company CVG Alunasa forwarded a letter to Arias showing their concern about the likely shutdown of the 400-worker plant based in Esparza, 100 km west San José, minutes from the Pacific port town of Puntarenas.

The report claimed that Chávez is moving the plant to another Central American country.

The mayor of Esparza -one of the poorest regions in the country, and where Alunasa is one of the largest employers- said the plant for several days now has halted imports of aluminum for processing.

Chávez is allegedly "mad" at Arias' statements last February 1st, when he said that the special ruling powers the Venezuelan Legislature gave Chávez early in February were "a denial of democracy."