Nicaragua's Ortega Asking Arias To Withdraw Charges Over the San Juan River
Presidential candidate and leader of the Sandinista party in Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, has asked Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias, to withdraw Costa Rica's plans to charge Nicaragua to the International Court at the Hague over the San Juan river conflict.

"The ideal would be if Oscar Arias withdraws the charges and that Costa Rica respect sovereignty of the San Juan", said Ortega to the foreign press from his party headquarters in Managua, the Nicaraguan capital.

Ortega, who was president of Nicaragua between 1985 and 1990, is suggesting that Arias find a way out of this conflict without having to go to the international court.

Ortega added that if the case goes before the court, both countries will incur expenses, that would be in the millions of dollars, that could better be invested in social programs. The Sandinista leader is confident that the Costa Rican leader and Nobel Peace prize winner will not irritate further the dispute between the two countries.

Ortega reminded that Arias was one of the strongest promoters of the agreements reached in Central America in 1987, signed in Esquipulas, Guatemala, the agreement that brought peace in Central America and that earned Arias the Noble prize.

The dispute between the neighbouring countries is over navigational rights of the San Juan river. Costa Rica is not making claim to the river, it has clearly stated that the river that divides the two countries clearly belongs to Nicaragua, but it does have the right to navigate and patrol the river based on a agreement, the Tratado Cañas-Jerez, signed in 1858.

The conflict over navigation rights has been going on for decades, but came to a head in 2001 when Nicaragua prohibited Costa Rican police to carry firearms while navigating and patrolling the river.

Former Costa Rican chancellor, Roberto Tovar, said before leaving his post that the Costa Rican demand was ready to be filed with the International Court.

The new chancellor, Bruno Stagno, re-iterated last week that Costa Rica will be moving forward with its demands and that he has held meetings with a legal group in London, England, hired by the Costa Rican government, that will be taking the case to court.

Stagno added that all that is left is to iron out a few details before heading to court.