New U.S. Ambassador and President Pacheco Meet
The new U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, Mark Langdale, told to president Abel Pacheco, he hopes that Costa Rica will soon join the Tratado Libre de Comercio (TLC) - the free trade agreement with the United States - along with other Central American countries and the Dominican Republic, which have all ratified the agreement.

That was the topic of discussion on the first "official" meeting of the two men, which president Pacheco called a cordial and respectful meeting between the countries, with the best of intentions.

Langdale, a former hotel operator, says tha the TLC will give Costa Rica the impulse for more investment in Costa Rica. "I hope that Costa Rica will soon join the other countries in free trade which will bring comparative opportunities for Costa Rica", said Langdale.

President Pacheco added that the discussion on the free trade agreement was not long, because he was told by "Mister Bush" to take his time.

The U.S. Ambassador sees his role as bringing the two nations closer, which share similar values in democracy and human rights.

President Pacheco was firm in his comments to Langdale, the Costa Rica won't permit the exploitation of oil and will continue to preserve its ecology. Pacheco told the U.S. Ambasador that Costa Rica's tourism sector is special, in that it does not damage the ecology, but rather protect it. Pacheco said that Costa Rican hotels and tour operators protect the fauna and flora to attract more tourists and is known around the world for its biodiversity.


For the past sixteen years, Ambassador Mark Langdale was president of Posadas USA, Inc., the United States subsidiary of Grupo Posadas, a fully-integrated hotel company which operates the Fiesta Americana, Fiesta Inn, and Cesar Park hotel brands in Latin America.

Ambassador Langdale also co-founded CapRock Communications Corp., an integrated communications provider in the southwest region of the United States, and was the Chairman of the Texas Department of Economic Development, State of Texas, from 1997-2001.