The rise in world oil prices has the government worried. The world price for crude oil reached a high of $41.55 per barrel. In Costa Rica gasoline prices have been rising steadily. The last increase on May 6, saw a litre of super hitting ¢305.20 colones. The new increase, if approved, will see the cost go to ¢315.00 President Abel Pacheco yesterday appealed to all Costa Ricans to travel less to reduce consumption. Today's Stories: • Buckle Up. Today is the day! • MOPT Loses Riteve Contract • Workshop Addresses the Promise of Central America • US-Australia Accord on Free Trade Signed • US requests extradition of Colombian paramilitaries • Venezuela: US has no right to comment on human rights • Japan rejects Peru's request on Fujimori Italian Police Get a Lamborghini The newest car to be used by Italian Police is seen in this photo made available by Italian police last Thursday. This high performance 2-seater Lamborghini Gallardo car, using a V10 cylinder DOHC four valve V90 5 liter, 500 Hp engine, can reach the top speed of 309 km/h (192 Mph). Lamborghini, which is owned by Volkswagen and based near Bologna in northern Italy, donated the car. The six-speed, two-door luxury vehicle promises the ability to go from zero to 100 kph (60 mph) in four seconds, and has a list price of US$165,000 (euro145,180 in Europe).

However, beginning today, the fine will be ¢8.350 colones for drivers and passengers (both front and rear) of all types of vehicles, including taxis. The driver is responsible for the passenger's use of the seat restraint and will be fined for non use.

Taxi drivers will have the right to refuse a fare is a passenger does not want to use the seatbelt or risk being fined by the Transit police, who beginning today will be mounting an all out campaign, with 30 additional motorcycles - most of them donated by the government of Spain - who will give pursuit to vehicles where it is clearly seen that the seatbelt is not being used.

In other Transit news, Transit authorities are concerned at the high number of deaths this year due to traffic accidents. To date, this year there have been 130 deaths recorded, with this month being the worst.

In the first 18 days of this month there have been 24 traffic fatalities. Driving at excessive speed is the number one cause of accidents, according to the statistics by Transit authorities, followed by driving under the influence of alcohol. The rain was factor in increasing the risk of accidents.

Imprudent pedestrian deaths came in third place. Transit officials will be mounting an intensive campaign directed at pedestrians and reducing the number of deaths.

MOPT Loses Riteve Contract
Is it corruption? Mismanagement? or simply a mistake? That is the question in the minds of legislators following the revelation made by Minister de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), Javier Chaves, that the contract between Riteve SyC, S. A - the vehicle inspection firm - and the MOPT has been lost.

This was confirmed yesterday by president Abel Pacheco, who called the occurrence "a barbarity" and adding that the loss occurred during the last administration and not on his watch.

The situation came to light following the request by Liberation party and former presidential candidate, José Miguel Corrales, from Minister Chaves to provide him the signed contract for a closer study.

Riteve was given an exclusive contract to operate vehicle inspection centres in the country in July 2002. The contract was signed in 2001 under the Rodriguez administration.

Chaves explained that this is a serious situation and a full investigation will be done as to how and why. He added that they know when, it was on the 28th June of 2001, when the contract was being delivered to the Comptroller's office, more specifically the Transport Division.

Chaves added that they were able to locate a copy of the document held by the Comptroller's office (Contraloría General de la República).

The controversy began when Corrales had been questioning the practices of Riteve and the MOPT regarding the vehicle inspections, following recent reports of anomalies in the way Riteve has been operating the vehicle inspections and the recent announcement in the raising of prices for the service..

When Corrales received no responses from either Riteve nor the MOPT, he asked the Sala IV - the Constitutional Court - to intervene and the court ordered last week MOPT to deliver Corrales the original document.

Workshop Addresses the Promise of Central America
Central American countries from Costa Rica to Nicaragua are opening their arms to business from the north, according to a local international trade consultant who is organizing a workshop on the issue.

Trade barriers that have stood for years have been addressed by the Central American Free Trade Agreement that was signed last year and mimics the North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA in many ways, according to international trade consultant Joyce Mikkelson of Chico, California.

"It's stronger than NAFTA," said Mikkelson, addressing legal issues like helping American companies getting paid and tariffs on items that Americans want to sell.

"Issues like that discourage companies from pursuing foreign trade," Mikkelson said.

Launched in 2003, the Central American Free Trade Agreement initially involved El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, but now also includes Costa Rica.

In addition to the benefit of new markets for American companies and jobs for Americas, the benefit for Central American consumers is locating products that haven't been widely available in their countries, Mikkelson said.

Other promising markets in Central America include tourism, business and financial services, and healthcare services and products, Mikkelson said.

Probably most unusual about this workshop is the one-on-one time with trade experts for questions about importing or exporting.

Mikkelson said this workshop is designed for anyone thinking or already pursuing trade in Central America. One of the speakers also has expertise in trade with Asia as well.

US-Australia Accord on Free Trade Signed
The United States and Australia yesterday signed a free-trade agreement, the first in a series the Bush administration hopes to send Congress this year for approval.

The administration is working to rapidly expand the country's free-trade network even as economic uncertainty has made trade a sensitive election-year issue in Congress.

"In both the United States and Australia, we must now turn our attention to winning approval of the agreement from our respective legislatures," U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick said at the signing ceremony.

Both nations would like their legislators to approve the pact this summer so that it takes effect Jan. 1, Mr. Zoellick added.

The administration also has concluded pacts with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua — the Central American Free Trade Agreement — as well as the Dominican Republic and Morocco. The CAFTA signing is scheduled for next week; the agreement would later be packaged with the Dominican Republic's for a single congressional vote.

Under trade-promotion authority won by President Bush in August 2002, the House and Senate vote yes or no on trade deals. No amendments are allowed.

Yesterday Mr. Bush's trade team began negotiations with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, adding the three South American nations to a list that includes Panama, five southern African nations, Bahrain and soon Thailand.

Collectively, the agreements would make up a relatively small share of total U.S. trade but are strongly backed by many U.S. businesses that see new opportunities to sell their goods and services overseas.

The Australia deal may have the best chance of quick approval. Politically, the Pacific nation is an ally in Iraq and on other foreign-policy initiatives. Economically, the agreement is especially attractive to manufacturers because more than 99 percent of manufactured goods exported to Australia will become duty-free as soon as the agreement becomes law. Manufactured goods account for 93 percent of U.S. exports to Australia.

Venezuela: US has no right to comment on human rights
Venezuela dismissed a human rights report from the US State Department as being unacceptable on Tuesday, saying that the United States itself has no moral authority to comment on the issue.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said in a statement that the US administration has no moral right to make judgment on human rights in the world, including Venezuela, because the author of the report is infamous in dealing with moral matters.

"The United States knows no limit when it comes to human rights violations, and therefore can hardly erect itself as the judge of humanity," Rangel noted.

Rangel also rejected the US accusation against Venezuela as being unfounded. He stressed that his country does not violate human rights but has showed unprecedented respect for humanity.
 

Japan rejects Peru's request on Fujimori
Japan rejected Peru's request Tuesday that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori should testify through teleconference as a witness in a trial against Vladimiro Montesinos.

Such an interrogation was an interference in Japanese sovereignty, Nita Gamio, a Japanese official was quoted by the Andina news agency as saying.

Montesinos, jailed at El Callao, was Fujimori's former aide and chief of the defunct National Intelligence Service (SIN).

He had requested Fujimori to declare as a witness in a trial on payments to former owners of television channels, who backed Fujimori's reelection in 2000.

The Peruvian Anti-Corruption Chamber accepted the request and asked the Peruvian government to take steps to interrogate Fujimori, who has been in exile in Japan since 2000 and was charged with corruption and illegal association.

However, Japan rejected the extradition request filed by Peru on July 2003, as Fujimori holds the double Peruvian-Japanese citizenship.