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Taiwan
Denies Donations to Costa Rica
Taiwan foreign Minister, Eugene Chien, yesterday said
his government has never provided aid to foreign individuals or political parties in the wake of the allegation of illegal donations to Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco from Taiwan.
"The aid programs were carefully decided by both governments to be used on basic infrastructure and public welfare projects," Chien told reporters after yesterday's summit of the heads of state of Republic of China, Central America and Dominican Republic in Taipei.
"The aid was approved by the legislature budgeting committee and was never given to a party or an individual."
Speaking of a new bridge, a yet-to-be completed freeway, and agriculture technical assistance, Chien stressed that the aid to Costa Rica is related to public developments and welfare.
The Costa Rican public have expressed appreciation for Taiwan's support and aid, he added.
The Costa Rican legislature is investigating possible illegal donations from Taiwan were made to Pacheco's 2002 presidential campaign,
according to data released by the Panama branch of the Banco
Internctional de Costa Rica (Bicsa).
According to the report, a US$300,000 donation from the Sunshine Co. Ltd. and US$200,000 from Pacific Co. Ltd. were wired via Taiwan's International Commercial Bank of China. And a US$140,000 was sent via the Credit Suisse First Boston en Lugano, Switzerland.
President Pacheco, currently in Taipei to attend the summit, was quoted in the newspaper La Nacion as saying "It wasn't up to me to manage them. I don't know who those companies are."
Costa Rican law forbids candidates to accept donations from foreigners or businesses and stipulates that the checks should be issued to a campaign committee instead of the candidate.
PAHO and Costa Rican University Launch Joint Efforts on Gender and Health Information
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the University of Costa Rica (UCR) signed an agreement to develop an information service on gender and health that will initially contain more than 4,000 documents.
The agreement was signed by PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, who visited Costa Rica earlier this week, and UCR dean Dr. Gabriel Macaya. Dr. Roses is now on a Latin American trip that also includes Panama and Ecuador.
Both PAHO and the UCR agreed to strengthen a gender and health information service through the work being done by PAHO's Gender and Health Unit and UCR's Research Center for the Study of Women (CIEM/UCR).
Over the past 10 years, the Gender and Health Unit (formerly known as the Women, Health and Development Program) has been compiling, distributing and promoting information about gender and health. This has resulted in a GENSALUD database of more than 3,200 documents. CIEM/UCR has developed its own database of more than 1,000 documents to date.
One of PAHO's permanent cooperation programs has to do with the drafting and distribution of technical, scientific and public information - aware that information is not only a useful decision-making tool but also the best way to improve and increase knowledge. PAHO has traditionally supported initiatives that - making use of the latest technological advances in the communications field - make possible a greater access to health information by technical and professional entities as well as the general public.
The effort to generate information and gender and health issues is part of the joint work of PAHO and the UCR to develop quality information systems that can be used by academic centers, students and the general public. It's a way of achieving a greater democratization in the field of health information.
Under this agreement, PAHO and the UCR seek to strengthen he distribution of gender and health information both on nationwide and regional levels. The agreement also aims to support and strengthen CIEM/UCR's leadership role in the Virtual GENSALUD Library for Central America. Though the English version of the Library is still under construction, the Spanish version has already been launched.
PAHO was established in 1902 and is the world's oldest public health organization. PAHO works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and the quality of life of its people. It serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO).
More flights to Costa Rica
Given the success of the non-stop flights between Atlanta and Liberia ‚close to the beaches of northwestern Costa Rica‚ Delta Airlines announced that it will increase from three to five its weekly frequency in that route during the dry months, starting at the end of the year.
Also, US Airways announced a non-stop flight between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Juan Santamaria International Airport.
On the other hand, American West is likely to fly to Costa Rica from Phoenix, Arizona, while the German airline Condor Air and the Spanish Air Europa are also in the list of carriers that will offer new flights from Europe to Costa Rica.
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Cuba receives 16 students from the United States
A group of 16 young students from the United States arrived in Cuba to study at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM).
With the coming of this group on Wednesday, the number of US students in ELAM has grown to 60. The institution has about 7,000 students from 24 Latin American, Caribbean and African countries.
Founded in 1999, the ELAM is based on President Fidel Castro's idea of training doctors for countries affected by Hurricane
Mitch in 1998. This scheme has now been extended to more countries.
Three years ago, Castro offered 750 scholarships to study medicine for young US students with economic difficulties, and in April 2001, the first eight students arrived from the United States.
The first 1,400 students will graduate in 2005, and according to their agreement with the school, they will go back and work in their home countries.
Mexican NGOs criticize presidential candidacy of Guatemala's RiosMontt
Eight Mexican non-government organizations NGO) Thursday criticized the presidential candidacy of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt, terming it "a serious risk" to the security of Guatemala and Latin America.
In a statement issued at a press conference in Mexico City on Thursday, the NGOs said the possible installation of Rios Montt
as president of Guatemala "could represent a negative precedent for the whole region and open the gates for the candidacies of characters with similar backgrounds."
The press conference was presided over by 1992 Nobel peace price laureate, Guatemala's Rigoberta Menchu, who accused Rios Montt of jeopardizing the electoral process of Guatemala and the legal system.
"This is a struggle not only for human rights activists, but for democracy and the region as a whole," she said.
Guatemala's Constitutional Court approved on July 14 the registration of Rios Montt as presidential candidate for the Nov. 9 elections, despite a ban under the constitution against those who have participated in coups.
The candidacy of Rios Montt, now the parliament speaker, was promoted by the ruling Guatemalan Republican Front.
According to several Mexican NGOs, during the de facto government (1982-1983), after the ouster of president Romeo
Lucas, Rios Montt promoted the "scorched land" policy which led to the killing of 75,000 Guatemalans.
They expressed their concerns over the increasing instability in neighboring Guatemala where paramilitary groups had reappeared and violence had intensified recently.
Menchu, whose security agent was kidnapped one year ago, said she received several death threats during her latest visit in Guatemala.
Mexico to host extraordinary Summit of Americas in 2004
The extraordinary Summit of the Americas will be held in January, 2004 in Mexico, to discuss the new economic, social and political challenges in the region, the Mexican Foreign Ministry announced Thursday.
The ministry said 34 heads of state and government from the American continent will attend the summit to discuss the great challenges of the region on economic growth, equity, social development and democratic governance.
The leaders will sign a political declaration to define the actions and "cope with the new challenges affecting the region."
The ministry said the summit will not cover negotiations on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) since "they are dealt with by the Administrative Office" based in the Mexican city of Puebla. And this matter will be considered in the summit of Argentina in 2005.
A meeting will be held on Sept. 22 in Washington for preparations for the agenda of the extraordinary summit.
The last summit took place in Quebec in Canada in 2001.
US forces allowed in Guatemala to fight drug-traffickers
Guatemala's legislature on Wednesday approved an agreement with the United States allowing
US aircraft, ships and troops to fight drug-traffickers in the central American country, officials said Thursday.
The Guatemalan government hoped the passage will lead the US government to reconsider its decision at the beginning of this year to list Guatemala as a nation of not sufficiently
cooperating in the fight against drug-trafficking.
The agreement authorizes the US troops to fly over Guatemalan territory, sail across its waters and intercept suspicious ships and aircraft if Guatemalan security forces do not oppose.
Under the agreement, the Guatemalan authorities will be in charge of the joint operations by the two sides in Guatemala and the United States will not be able to carry out operations
without approval from Guatemala.
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