Foreign Minister: Costa Rica
Does Its Share Against Terrorism
Foreign Minister Roberto Tovar this week called the inclusion of Costa Rica on a list of 58 countries that have not complied with a United Nations resolution to sanction members of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network and the deposed Taliban regime of Afghanistan a “mistake.”
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Suspect Detained with
Cocaine in Stomach, Vagina
Police announced yesterday that they captured a British woman at Juan Santamaría International Airport with a total of 688 grams of cocaine in her vagina and stomach.
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Universidad Nacional
Has New Theater
The curtains drew on a stage lit by millions of Japanese yen last evening when the Universidad Nacional in Heredia, north of San José, inaugurated its “new and modern” theater, the Center for the Arts.
(Click for more)

Thursday – The Perfect Day for a Play
Lovers of good theater are invited to attend to one of the newest productions on stage. Pluma y Tempestad deals with the stormy conflicts of Latin America, such as poverty, child prostitution, corruption, etc. Students of the School of Arts of the University of Costa Rica perform the play (in Spanish) Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. through May 16, at Teatro del Sol, on the University of Costa Rica Campus.

Art of Peace and Culture
Professors and artists in San Ramón, Alajuela province, are opening their exhibit “Paz y Cultura Ramonense” today at the José Figueres Cultural Center. People can visit the exhibition Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. through May 10.

Foreign Minister: Costa Rica
Does Its Share Against Terrorism
By Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotimes.net

Foreign Minister Roberto Tovar this week called the inclusion of Costa Rica on a list of 58 countries that have not complied with a United Nations resolution to sanction members of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network and the deposed Taliban regime of Afghanistan a “mistake.”

Spanish wire service EFE reported the list was released by the commission in charge of enforcing U.N. Resolution 1267, under which all U.N. members agree to restrict the movement of persons and freeze the assets of organizations linked to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Costa Rica had the dubious distinction of being the only country in the American continent to be included on the list. Tovar said he was surprised to find out Costa Rica is on the list.

“Costa Rica has received congratulations for its perfect fulfillment of its [U.N. anti-terrorism] commitments,” Tovar said during Tuesday’s weekly cabinet meeting. “It’s an error. Costa Rica could never be on such a list. What I believe is that it was an error in transcription or interpretation. It’s absolutely illogical for someone to think that.”

It was later clarified that being on the list does not necessarily mean a country is harboring or aiding terrorists. Countries on the list are those that have yet to present a report detailing the specific actions they have taken to pursue members of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Costa Rica is on the list because it failed to meet the March 31 deadline for presenting its report on compliance with the resolution – not for being lax against terrorism. On Tuesday evening, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement explaining the situation and reaffirming Costa Rica’s commitment to combating international terrorism.

According to the statement, Costa Rica has finished drafting its report and will submit it to the committee in charge of enforcing Resolution 1267 by the end of this week.

Officials highlighted the complexity of the report. To prepare it, it is necessary to verify that the names on a list of suspected members of Al-Qaeda and Taliban, and organizations that have assisted them, are not using the country’s financial system. This entailed checking with the superintendents of Financial Entities (SUGEF), Securities (SUGEVAL) and Pensions (SUPEN), as well as the country’s banks. The names were also checked against recent immigration records, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The statement cited several of the actions Costa Rica has taken in the past to combat terrorism.

For example, the country has issued three reports with detailed information on its anti-terrorism laws and recent actions taken to toughen its stance against terrorism. Costa Rica has ratified 18 U.N. Conventions on terrorism. The current administration has prepared a bill to modify existing anti-terrorism legislation to make it more effective, according to the Foreign Ministry.

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