Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, September 26,  2003

Ticos Ready for Weekend 'Clásico'
Costa Rican soccer fans of all ages are gearing up for the first Clásico of the 2003-2004 season this Sunday at 11 a.m. in Moreara Soto Stadium in Alajuela.
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Pavarotti Coming To Say Goodbye
Opera legend Luciano Pavarotti is singing his final goodbye to Latin America this year, as part of the "Pavarotti without Borders: The Farewell Tour," including a one-night-only performance in Costa Rica Oct. 25.
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Saborío Addresses UN General Assembly

Lineth Saborío addresses the General Assembly

Vice President Lineth Saborío addressed the 58th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York Wednesday and expounded Costa Rica's position on topics such as human rights, the war on terrorism, Iraq, human cloning, demilitarization, reforming the UN Security Council and admitting Taiwan into the UN.

Saborío delivered a speech originally written for President Abel Pacheco, who remained home due to last week's strike in the Caribbean province of Limón.

Saborío's speech appeared to include subtle barbs toward the United States. The Vice President began her speech discussing human rights and the importance of respecting international institutions such as the Convention Against Torture and the new International Criminal Court at the Hague -- neither of which the U.S. supports.

She went on to discuss the importance of disarmament, demilitarization and the reduction of military costs toward achieving world peace. She also said that the UN Security Council needs to be reformed because "it has existed for more than a decade without bearing any fruit."

The Costa Rican representative called on the United Nations and the international community to help rebuild Iraq and return a sense of normalcy to the war-torn nation.

"We cannot allow Iraq to become a source of instability in the region, or a nest of international terrorism," Saborío said, adding that the recent murder of the UN's special representative in Iraq, Sergio Viera de Mello, should not be in vain.

The Vice President also warned of the pitfalls involved in the war on terrorism.

"The international war on terrorism cannot become an excuse to violate human rights or to adopt repressive measures against the innocent population," she stressed.

Saborío concluded her speech by claiming that there is room in the United Nations for two Chinas.

"We believe that the Republic of China [Taiwan] could contribute enormously to the work of this Organization," she said. "Congruent with the spirit of universality promoted by the United Nations, Costa Rica believes both [Chinese] governments should be represented in this Organization."

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C.R. Applauds Nigerian Court Decision

Lawal and Wasila listen to Grand Kadi of Katsina State Sharia Court of Appeals, Alhaji Aminu Katsina, hand down ruling yesterday. AFP/TT

Foreign Minister Roberto Tovar yesterday expressed Costa Rica's approval of a decision by a Nigerian Appeals Court to overturn a death sentence for a woman charged with having a child out of wedlock.

Nigerian divorcee Amina Lawal, 32, was sentenced to death by stoning in 2000 for bearing a child out of wedlock. Adultery is considered a crime punishable by stoning under the Islamic-based Sharia code of law adopted by 12 of 36 states in Nigeria.

Lawal's plight drew extensive international coverage last year during the 2002 Miss World Pageant in Nigeria. Miss Costa Rica, Shirley Alvarez, and some 10 other beauty queens boycotted the pageant in protest of the Lawal's death sentence (TT, Oct. 11).

President Abel Pacheco offered Lawal and her daughter Wasila asylum in Costa Rica, and the Foreign Ministry organized a nationwide signature campaign that collected 130,000 signatures asking the Nigerian Court to spare the life of the accused (TT Oct. 18, 2002; March 21, 2003).

Yesterday, the Sharia Appeals Court overruled the death sentence, citing an Islamic "sleeping embryo" theory that explains how Lawal could have conceived her child two years before the baby was born, while she was still married, according to the New York Times.

"This is a happy demonstration of what a fight for the advancement of human rights in the world can achieve," Tovar said. "The voice of Costa Ricans and thousands of others asking for clemency and pardon have been heard and helped to save a life."