Nicaragua To Dredge Border River With Costa
Rica
Nicaragua will reroute a river on the border
with Costa Rica that has been at the centre
of a lengthy dispute between the two Central
American countries, the Nicaraguan
government announced Tuesday.
Eden Pastora, president of the committee for
development of the Rio San Juan, said the
dredging project will begin at the end of
September and cost us$1 million.
"The goal is to recover the 1,700 cubic
meters per second of water that was lost
after Costa Rica rerouted it toward its Rio
Colorado between 1945 and 1950," Pastora
said.
Under an 1858 treaty, the entire river
belongs to Nicaragua up to the Costa Rican
bank, but Costa Rican ships have freedom of
navigation for commerce.
For nearly two centuries, the Rio San Juan
has been the source of disputes between the
neighboring nations and of international
intrigue over a potential canal route across
the isthmus.
Costa Rica's foreign relations ministry said
in a statement Tuesday that a ruling by an
international court "forcefully denies
Nicaragua's pretension that it has the right
to dredge the Rio San Juan."
The United Nations' highest court last month
set travel rules for the Rio San Juan,
affirming freedom for Costa Rican boats to
navigate the waterway while upholding
Nicaragua's right to regulate traffic. The
judgment ended a four-year legal battle.
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