|
Costa
Rica
Files
Case
With
International
Court
Against
Nicaragua
In a
500
page
document
filled
with
photos,
satellite
images,
interviews
and
historical
documents Costa
Rica
on
Monday presented
its
case
against
Nicaragua
to
the
International
Court
of
Justice
in
The
Hague
(ICJ).
The
document
spells
out
Costa
Rica's
arguments
against
Nicaragua's
alleged
violations
and
invasion
of
Costa
Rican
territory,
including
the
environmental
damage
caused
by
the
dredging
work
of
the
San
Juan
river
to
the
Isla
Calero,
the
area
claimed
by
Costa
Rica
and
Nicaragua.
The
court
ruled
last
March
that
both
countries
must
stay
out
of
the
area
in
conflict
while
the
Court
considers
the
case.
The
ICJ
action
was
taken
by
Costa
Rica
when
in
October
2010
Nicaragua's
armed
forces
were
camped
out
in
the
Calero.
The
armed
forces
were
led
by
former
Sandinista
guerilla
leader,
Edén
Pastora,
in
the
dredging
work
of
the
San
Juan
river,
a
river
that
clearly
belongs
to
Nicaragua,
but
the
south
shores
to
Costa
Rica.
Costa
Rica's
argument
is
solid
according
to
Foreign
Miniser,
Enrique
Castillo.
Costa
Rica's
presentation
comes
on
the
heels
of
accusations
by
Nicaragua
over
the
last
couple
of
weeks,
raising
tensions
in
the
area,
as
the
northern
neighbour
objects
to
the
construction
of a
road
parallel
to
the
river.
The
construction
of
the
road
on
the
Costa
Rican
side
of
the
border
is
to
connect
communities
that
before
the
road
only
shared
the
river.
Given
the
problems
with
navigation
of
the
river
by
Costa
Ricans,
the
government
of
Laura
Chinchilla
decided
on
the
120
kilometre
road.
Nicaragua
says
the
road
is
causing
environmental
damage
in
the
area
and
destroying
fauna
and
flora.
Minister
Castillo
alleges
the
Nicaragua
complaint
is
to
detract
the
public
from
accusations
of
elections
fraud
in
the
November
6,
2011,
re-election
of
Daniel
Ortega.
The
same
accusation
was
made
in
October
2010,
Costa
Rica's
Foreign
Ministry
alleging
that
the
invasion
of
the
Isla
Calero
was
a
ploy
by
president
Daniel
Ortega
to
strengthen
his
support
for
a
re-election
bid.
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