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Union Leaders Soften Their
Protest Stand
Heads of the Comisión Nacional
de Enlace (CNE) toned down their
threats of the last few days and
made clear that Costa Ricans
should not be worried about a
social crisis, rather that their
movement will be more of a
"public disobedience".
The CNE has made strong verbal
threats during the last few
days, that they would cause
social unrest in the event Oscar
Arias were to win the
presidential election next
February.
"There won't be any violence but
rather a peaceful demonstrations
similar to the past, more like
the marches and demonstrations
against the Combo del ICE", were
the joint words of Albino
Vargas, president of the ANEP
and Danilo Rojas, president of
the APSE, both strong labour
unions.
The president of the Partido
Liberacion Nacional (PLN)
Franciso Antonio Pacheco, says
that the group has been
modifying it's strong talk, even
though there are those in the
group that want to stir things
up like it has been happened in
Ecuador and Venezuela.
The group is against the singing
of the Tratado Libre de Comercio
(TLC) - free trade agreement
with the United States - as is
making threats against the PLN
and it's presidential candidate,
former president Oscar Arias,
whose government it will fall on
if he wins the election and
takes the presidential chair
next May.
The group is calling on
president Abel Pacheco not to
sent the TLC document to
congress, which, according to
the group, will provoke a series
of confrontations.
The CNE says they represent the
"popular" will of Costa Ricans
and that there are no outside or
foreign or subversive forces
behind their actions. They say
that they cannot estimate the
number of people behind their
movement, but it will be seen in
the streets.
Vargas added "there is no
guerilla movements, nor will be
blowing up buildings or bridges,
but we will be blocking off
streets while we protest. Our
movement will be completely a
peaceful civil disobedience."
"They can cover their faces like
sheep, but the wolves are still
in the background", said the
president of the PLN.
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