The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Currency Exchange
Dollar Exchange:
Central Bank Reference Rate
Buy ¢488.52	Sell ¢490.58
CR Colon:
CAD 417.983	GBP 868.324
EURO 590.680	JPY 4.224
NIO 28.617	RUB 17.170
US Dollar:
BZD 0.5063	GTQ 0.1308
HNL 0.0508	SVC 0.1142
NIO 0.0584	PAB 0.9950
27 Oct 2005

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, March 16, 2004

WHO’S buying: Economy Minister Gilberto Barrantes discusses consumer rights with Regulator General Aracelly Pacheco at the Plaza de la Cultura in San José during World Consumer Rights Day yesterday.
Tico Times/Jeffrey Arguedas

Environment Minister Stands Firm
Against Negotiations with Harken
Environment and Energy Minister Carlos Manuel Rodríguez yesterday reiterated he would not continue settlement negotiations with Harken Costa Rica Holdings LLC (HRCH) in connection with a failed oil exploration contract unless the matter is taken to court in Costa Rica.
(Click for more)

Ministry of Economy Celebrates
World Consumer Rights Day
In celebration of World Consumer Rights Day yesterday, the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce hosted a series of activities in the Plaza de la Cultura in downtown San José.
(Click for more)

March 16

Business Course for Homemakers
Course offered 2-6 p.m. at the Juan Santamaría Museum in Alajuela. Info: 441-4775.

Conference about Art
Hosted by Hilda Apuy, 7 p.m. at the Fine Arts Auditorium at the School of Fine Arts, University of Costa Rica in San Pedro.

Liquitfestival
Festival of trance music with guest DJ Ayesha from New York and Costa Rican DJs, Ali, Guru Zigma, Geno and Izu, Sat., March 20 at La Campiña Country Club. Info: 842- 6158.

Return To Top Of Page

Environment Minister Stands Firm
Against Negotiations with Harken
By Robert Goodier
rgoodier@ticotimes.net

Environment and Energy Minister Carlos Manuel Rodríguez yesterday reiterated he would not continue settlement negotiations with Harken Costa Rica Holdings LLC (HRCH) in connection with a failed oil exploration contract unless the matter is taken to court in Costa Rica.

“We will not approve any contract that has not passed its environmental impact study,” he told The Tico Times yesterday.

Rodríguez had told the press Jan. 10 that the government of Costa Rica was negotiating a settlement of between $3 million and $11 million with HCRH for losses related to the cancellation of its oil-exploration projects off the Caribbean coast in 2002 (TT, Jan. 16).

Negotiations with Harken came to a standstill when Rodríguez announced last week he would not settle out of court and local courts should settle the case. He said the oil company had violated fundamental aspects of the government concession contract to exploit oil off the Caribbean coast of Moín.

The aspect of the contract in question is the rejection of the company’s environmental impact study (TT, Oct. 10, 2003) by the ministry’s Technical Secretariat (SETENA).

“According to the terms of the contract,” Rodríguez said, “there are no grounds for accusing us before any international body. If they (Harken representatives) have any complaints, they should voice them in Costa Rican courts.”

Brent Abadie, president of MKJ Xploration Inc., a majority shareholder in HCRH, told The Tico Times yesterday that the company has not made a decision as to what to do. He contested the argument that HCRH breached the contract with the rejected environmental study.

“In 2001 the (court) ruled that SETENA could not make a decision to approve or reject an environmental impact study. Notwithstanding the ruling, they went ahead and made a decision,” Abadie said. “I know for a fact that we are on good ground and the government is in breach.”

In early 2002, the government of Costa Rica, under former President Miguel Angel Rodríguez, signed a contract with HCRH that granted oil exploration and drilling rights. The company had conducted studies and prepared for the use of its drilling contract since 1999.

President Abel Pacheco took office shortly after and declared Costa Rica off limits to offshore oil exploration (TT, Oct. 10, 2003).

See Friday’s Tico Times print edition or digital PDF version for the full story.

Return To Top Of Page

Central American Water Tribunal
Begins Second Public Audience

The Central American Water Tribunal began its second public audience yesterday in San José. The tribunal’s ethical jury plans to tackle nine cases about diverse threats of contamination of hydrological resources throughout the isthmus.

Jury members will work through Friday on the cases, and the verdicts will be announced Monday, according to organizers of the event. The verdicts are only ethical determinations and are not legally binding for Central American governments.

The director of the tribunal, Javier Bogantes, called the Central America water situation “alarming.” According to data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 16 million of the 40 million people living in Central America (approximately 35% of the region’s population) do not have access to potable water. FAO data also shows the situation will be critical for the majority of the population within 30 years.

“They estimate that availability of potable water per capita will be reduced by 80% by the year 2025,” Bogantes said yesterday during the inaugural activity of the event.

Bogantes said the threat against hydrological resources is not a problem Central America faces alone. In 2002, he said, at least 1.1 billion people in the world lacked potable water and 2.4 billion did not have access to basic sanitary services.

The experts reviewing the cases come from Central America, Colombia, Cuba and Uruguay. The panel will review two cases from Costa Rica, two from El Salvador, two from Guatemala, one from Nicaragua and one from Honduras.

The panel also will review the issue of the transportation of dangerous radioactive materials through the Panama Canal (TT, Nov. 7, 2003).
-AFP

Return To Top Of Page

Ministry of Economy Celebrates
World Consumer Rights Day

In celebration of World Consumer Rights Day yesterday, the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce hosted a series of activities in the Plaza de la Cultura in downtown San José.

The goal of the event, according to the ministry, was to promote the rights of consumers and inform the public about the obligations of the commercial sector.

Public organizations and private businesses participated, including the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), the Social Security System (Caja), the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), and various consumer associations and service chambers.

To further promote consumer awareness, the ministry announced it will host information booths at grocery stores throughout the week to provide consumers with information on their rights.

The ministry will be at Perimercados in central Moravia today, Megasuper in Parque de la Paz on Wednesday, Más x Menos in La Sabana Thursday and Auto Mercado in Plaza del Sol on Friday.

Also giving consumers reason to celebrate, a new mall planned for Avenida Central was announced yesterday. Pasaje Plazavenida is planed for the pedestrian walkway and Calle 9, near the bus stop to San Pedro. The mall is expected to include shops, restaurants, fast food outlets and public restrooms.

Return To Top Of Page

Costa Rica Congratulates
Russia, Spain for Their Elections

The Costa Rican Foreign Ministry yesterday formally congratulated the winners of the elections held Sunday in Russia and Spain.

Russian President Vladimir Putin obtained more than 70% of the popular vote in his reelection bid.

In Spain, José Luis Rodríguez, head of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, obtained a majority in the Spanish legislature after posting a surprising victory over its main rival the Popular Party (TT Daily Page, March 15).

Return To Top Of Page

Thursday October 27, 2005