Costa Rica To Nicaragua:
Dispute To Continue in
International Court;
Debt Cannot Be Forgiven
Nicaraguan president,
Daniel Ortega, met Costa
Rican president, Oscar
Arias, in Costa Rica
yesterday to discuss a
number of mutual issues,
one of them being the
dispute over Costa Rican
police patrolling the
San Juan river.
Arias said that Costa
Rica will continue with
its case before the
International Court at
the Hague as both
leaders could not come
to a friendly agreement
to the dispute.
Costa Rica maintains
that it has the right to
navigate the river which
clearly belongs to
Nicaragua based on an
old agreement.
Nicaragua, however,
maintains that Costa
Ricans police cannot
patrol the river armed
and has refused
navigational rights.
"We agreed to bring the
case before the
international court
without discarding the
possibility that a
bilateral commission can
discuss the problem"
said Costa Rica'd
foreign minister, Bruno
Stagno, who also
confirmed the case is
expected to be heard in
2009.
Another subject of
discussion by the two
leaders is Nicaragua's
us$630 million dollar
debt with Costa Rica.
The debt was incurred by
the northern neighbour
back in the 1970's and
early 1980's. President
Ortega recognized that
Nicaragua is not in a
position to pay the debt
and offer Costa Rica
land in return as a form
of payment.
"The debt was originally
for us$200 million
dollars and today with
interest it passes
us$630 million. It is a
debt we cannot pay and I
have told president
Arias that we can may be
given them some land in
Nicaragua" said Ortega.
Arias said that Costa
Rica is not a position
to forgive such a large
debt, but may be open to
a lower percentage and
perhaps Nicaragua's
European friends can
help them pay down the
debt.
Immigration was another
topic of discussion
between the two leaders.
Ortega urged Costa Rica
to approve reforms to
its immigration laws
that are now before the
legislature that would
help the large number of
Nicaraguans in Costa
Rica.
Ortega said he was
confident that Costa
Rica would relax it
immigration policies
with Nicaragua as a sign
of good will between the
countries and will give
Nicaraguans in Costa
Rica more security.
This was Ortega's first
official visit to Costa
Rica since taking office
last January. Both Arias
and Ortega are serving a
second term in office,
their first their was 20
years ago. |
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