The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, October 13, 2003

GIVING THANKS: Canadians gathered at the Gran Hotel Sunday to celebrate Thanksgiving, the one in October. Organized yearly by The Costa Rican Canadian Association, the event drums up good feelings, a good feast and boxes and bags of food for underprivileged Costa Ricans. From left: Beverly Penner, Lyn Statten, Pat (president) and Holly Copeland, Barbara Woolford, Vicky Kieke, KeithWoolford (emcee) and Henry Penner.
TT/Suzanna Starcevic

Arias: Monopolies Must be Opened
Nobel Peace Laureate and former President Oscar Arias spoke with strong conviction last Friday about the need to open the country's state-run monopolies, particularly the Costa Rican Electricity and Telecom Institute (ICE), to stay in stride with the changing times.
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World Bank Expresses
Confidence in C.R.
World Bank President James Wolfensohn, in Costa Rica last week to participate in a symposium on business philanthropy, lauded the country as a leader in the region and expressed his confidence in its future economic growth.
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Slumping Sele Loses 2-1 to South Africa
The National Soccer Team's woes followed it to Africa last weekend, as the slumping Sele lost 2-1 Saturday to the 36th world-ranked South African team, known as Bafana, in the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup.
(Click for more)

October 13

Round Table on Children's Security
Learn ways to protect your children at the roundtable "Aggression and Child Abuse, Prevention is the Key," with Child Welfare Minister Rosalía Gil; Psychologist Yolanda Hurtado and Judicial Investigative Police (OIJ) Director Jorge Rojas, moderated by Journalist Edgar Fonseca. Tonight at 7 p.m., at the Auditorium of La Nación newspaper, Llorente, Tibás. Info: 247-4224.

Caribbean Cooking
Get new recipes from chef Luis Guillermo Castro, who will explain how to cook Caribbean Chicken and Pattie. Today at 5:30 p.m., at Librería Internacional in Multiplaza, Escazú. Info: 800-542-7374.

Today 2x1 at Semáforo Theaters
Showing "Hasta Morir" a Mexican film about two friends who steal money to save it and kidnap a magnate to get more money to escape to Los Angeles. Everything goes well until one of them kills a police officer, in Spanish, at 3, 5, 7 p.m. The theater is 80 m. west of Liceo Vargas Calvo in San Pedro. Info: 253-9126, elsemaforo@racsa.co.cr.

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Arias: Monopolies Must be Opened
By Tim Rogers
trogers@ticotimes.net

Nobel Peace Laureate and former President Oscar Arias spoke with strong conviction last Friday about the need to open the country's state-run monopolies, particularly the Costa Rican Electricity and Telecom Institute (ICE), to stay in stride with the changing times.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Arias Foundation's Peace Museum in San José, the 2006 presidential hopeful called the government's protection of ICE and refusal to open the telecom and electricity markets to foreign investment "stupid."

"What are we going to do?" Arias demanded. "Tell investors to go to Mexico or China because we have a monopoly here?"

He insisted opening the monopoly is necessary to attract investment, increase production, create new jobs for university graduates, provide real salaries to workers, collect taxes and increase prosperity.

"If we don't invite investment, where are our students going to work in the future?" Arias said.

The former President stressed that "opening" the telecom and electricity monopoly to private competition, is not the same as "privatizing" ICE.

"Nothing would happen to ICE, which we all hold dear for providing electrical coverage and telephone service to 97% of the country," Arias said. "But that doesn't mean this will continue. The world is changing and we cannot be like China or Cuba and not recognize the changing world."

Arias acknowledged that most Costa Ricans probably are opposed to opening the telecom and electricity monopolies, but said they "must be convinced they are wrong."

"The work of a politician is to create opinion, to educate," he said. "If most think ICE is good, they need to be educated because they are wrong. But if we want to continue as a poor country, we are good with ICE."

Arias said that a free-trade agreement with the United States would only benefit Costa Rica, whereas the United States would lose nothing by refusing a free-trade agreement with a small market like Costa Rica.

"The rich are already rich; without [a trade pact] the losers will be the poor," he said.

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World Bank Expresses Confidence in C.R.
By Tim Rogers
trogers@ticotimes.net

Wolfensohn gives Costa Rican economy good marks.
AFP/TT

World Bank President James Wolfensohn, in Costa Rica last week to participate in a symposium on business philanthropy, lauded the country as a leader in the region and expressed his confidence in its future economic growth.

"This country has given a lot of leadership to the region in the context of [the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States, or CAFTA] and as a spokesman in Cancún [the world trade talks last month]," Wolfensohn said. "The country is very much in tune with the fundamental needs of the region, bringing together Central America."

Wolfensohn also applauded President Abel Pacheco as "First Class" for his commitment to the environment and his handling of recent strikes by teachers and public workers.

The World Bank leader expressed confidence in the country's economy, citing Costa Rica's socioeconomic progress, economic diversification, fiscal reform and perspective of successfully concluding a free-trade agreement with the United States as indicators that things are moving in the right direction.

Wolfensohn and David de Ferranti, vice-president of the World Bank for Latin America and the Caribbean, met last week with Pacheco and his economic team to stress the importance of successfully concluding CAFTA.

"In order to consolidate [Costa Rica's] process, it would be ideal to successfully culminate the CAFTA negotiations," De Ferranti said in a World Bank press release. "Macroeconomic stability also is indispensable for Costa Rica to retake the path of economic growth and capitalize on the opportunities for investment and job-creation that CAFTA should bring."

Jane Armitage, World Bank Director for Central America, said in a release that Pacheco's economic team needs to rationalize its public spending, increase the efficiency of social programs and modernize the tax system while eliminating exonerations.

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Slumping Sele Loses 2-1 to South Africa

OFF-THE-FIELD HIGHLIGHT: Mandela greets the Sele in what was the only bright spot of Costa Rica's African tour.
AFP/TT

The National Soccer Team's woes followed it to Africa last weekend, as the slumping Sele lost 2-1 Saturday to the 36th world-ranked South African team, known as Bafana, in the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup.

The 19th-ranked Ticos, who have dropped two slots in the FIFA world ranking since August, again disappointed Costa Ricans with what some fans are calling their worst performance of the year. Costa Rica's only goal of the game was own-goal scored accidentally by Bafana defender Aaron Mokoena on his own net.

Perhaps the only highlight of the African tour for Costa Rica was having the chance to meet former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Sele coach Steve Sampson is desperately trying to revive his team before the 2006 World Cup qualifying round begins next February.

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