The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, May 19, 2003

GROWING IN NUMBERS: Striking ICE workers, who marched on the capital last week, could be joined by public school teachers.
TT/AFP

U.S. Disaster Relief Director Dies
Paul Bell, regional director of the U.S.' International Office of Disaster Assistance, died last week due to heart complications, according to a U.S. Embassy press release. Bell, who was in charge of coordinating U.S. disaster relief aid in all of Latin America and the Caribbean, lived in Costa Rica for the last 20 years.
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May 19

Round Table Discussions at UCR
The discussions start today with the topic "Music, Dance and Identity," at 9 a.m.-noon, at the School of Modern Languages, UCR. Other talks: Tues., May 20, "Literature and Visual Arts," Teatro 1887, CENAC; Wed., May 21, "Cultural Diversity – A Look through Music, History and Technology;" Thurs., May 22, "Representations of the Human Body in Theater and Literature;" Mini Auditorium, School of Modern Languages, UCR.

Extending Culture
Don’t miss tonight’s talk "Cabalá The Jewish Mistic;" at 7:30 p.m. at the Hebrew Culture Center. Info: 220-1421, 291-2940.

Last Week of Art Exhibit
Rafa Fernández presents his show "His Women." The artist is winner of the National Award as best artist. The display is open through May 26, National Museum, Ca. 15, Av. Ctrl./2. Info: 223-3924, 221-2022.

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Teachers Plan to Join ICE in Strike

The 11,000-plus striking employees of the Costa Rican Electricity and Telecom Institute (ICE) may soon be joined in protest by several thousand educators, following warnings from several teachers unions that they too will begin a nation-wide strike on Wednesday.

The ICE strike began last Friday and will continue until the government of President Abel Pacheco complies with its three-month-old promise to authorize a $97 million bond issue to help infuse the state monopoly with needed capital, the institute's labour-union leaders insist. ICE workers are also protesting the Public Service Regulatory Agency's (ARESEP) failure to increase electricity prices, despite the electric company's request last month (TT, Feb. 21; May 16).

ICE and the government reportedly made no progress in negotiations over the weekend. Telephone and electricity services have not been suspended, but all additional installations, repairs and other work will remain on hold during the duration of the strike. ICE does, however, have emergency crews to attend to outages.

Meanwhile, the Association of Secondary School Teachers is claiming that it too is prepared to declare an indefinite strike starting Wednesday to protest persistent payment irregularities. After six months of teachers receiving incomplete pay checks or no money at all, some 8,000 educators took to the streets May 6 to threaten a general strike in the event the payment glitches weren't worked out before the May 13 payday (TT, May 2, 9).

Education Minister Astrid Fischel announced last week that 99% of the payment problems had been worked out. But as the week progressed, there were more and more reports of teachers who still had not received their due salaries (TT, May 16).

The partially resolved payment problem has resulted in different responses from the nation's teachers' unions, reported the daily La Nación.

While the secondary teachers' union is planning an indefinite strike, the Costa Rican Educators' Union announced its members will go on a three-day strike next week, and the National Teachers' Association said it will wait until the May 30 payday to decide whether or not to strike.

Leaders of the different teachers' unions are meeting today to try and coordinate their efforts.

In the event of a massive teacher strike, the National Association of Public Employees (ANEP) will try to unite the two striking groups and declare a general strike of all public employees.

"We are working on a plan to declare a general strike of all the public employees in Costa Rica," ANEP secretary general Albino Vargas said, according to an AFP report. "We are tired of the government's trickery."

Don't miss Friday's TT print edition for more on strikes.

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5th Round of CAFTA Talks will be Key for C.A.

GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) - The fifth round of free-trade talks with the U.S., scheduled for next month in Honduras, will be the most challenging and most vital for Central America, which is trying to get the U.S. to be more flexible about opening its market to Central American products, according to several trade delegates.

The U.S.' most recent free-trade proposal, presented last Friday during the final day of the fourth round of CAFTA talks in Guatemala, caused concern on behalf of the Central American trade delegates when they saw it didn't include all of the products that currently enter the U.S. market tariff-free under other existing trade initiatives.

U.S. trade negotiator Regina Vargo tried to alleviate fears by promising that the U.S. will improve its offer during the next round of talks.

"If we weren't willing to be flexible about our position in future rounds, then why even meet?" Vargo said.

The next round is expected to be the most difficult thus far, according to Costa Rican trade delegate Anabel González. During the Honduras talks - June 16 to 20 - Central America will present its counterproposal. The draft will be written during the last week of May in Nicaragua.

One of the more important matters still to be negotiated is the trade rules regarding textiles. The U.S. maintains its opposition to importing textiles made in Central America with primary material from third countries.

Central American business leaders, meanwhile, continue to clamour for more transparency and inclusion in the talks, while insisting that the U.S. improve its offer to make it consistent with U.S. President George W. Bush's promise to enter into a trade pact that helps the development of the region and reduces poverty.

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U.S. Disaster Relief Director Dies

Paul Bell, regional director of the U.S.' International Office of Disaster Assistance, died last week due to heart complications, according to a U.S. Embassy press release. Bell, who was in charge of coordinating U.S. disaster relief aid in all of Latin America and the Caribbean, lived in Costa Rica for the last 20 years.

"[Bell's] first concern was always the security and wellbeing of those stuck in situations out of their control," said U.S. Ambassador John J. Danilovich. "The U.S., Costa Rica and the region has lost a great friend, a champion of those afflicted by natural disasters and a marvellous human being."

Before heading the disaster relief office for the Americas, Bell worked with the Peace Corps and the USAID. No information was provided about Bell's age or home state.

Bell is survived by five children. His funeral is today, May 19, at 10 a.m. at Funeraria del Recuerdo in barrio San Bosco.

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