[dailyarchive/2004_09/Week2/exchange_rates.htm]
Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, September, 10 2004
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ON the ball: Costa Rican player Erick Scott (left) demonstrated excellent ball control in Wednesday night's game between Costa Rica and Canada. The Tico team won the game 1-0. The soccer game is part of a qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. |
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President Abel Pacheco
Says He's Not Leaving
President Abel Pacheco yesterday denied rumors he would resign as Costa Rica's President.
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High Court Rules President's
War Support Unconstitutional
The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) has ruled President Abel Pacheco's decision to support the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq last year is unconstitutional, and ordered the government of Costa Rica to ask the United States to remove the country's name from the “Coalition of the Willing.
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Comptroller General Declares
Riteve Contract Unconstitutional
Comptroller General Alex Solís announced yesterday that the controversial Riteve SyC contract to perform the regular technical inspections required of all vehicles in Costa Rica is in fact a monopoly, and violates the Constitution as such. He differed the matter to the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV).
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Flood Alert Issued for
Pacific Central, Southern Zones
Residents and travelers in Costa Rica, particularly in the central and southern Pacific coastal areas should remain alert to potential heavy rains generated by Hurricane Ivan.
(Click for more)
September 10
Contemporary Dance Show
With dancers from the University of Colorado-Boulder and Costa Rican groups Danza Abend and Danza Universitaria, from the University of Costa Rica (UCR), 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Eugene O'Neill Theater at the Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center in Barrio Dent, east San José. Info: 207-7513.
Events Commemorating Sept. 11, 2001
Monument unveiling sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center, Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce and U.S. citizens living in Costa Rica, 10 a.m. Saturday at the park next to the Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center in Sabana Norte. Info: 220-2200. Candlelight circle, 7-9 p.m. Saturday at Big Mike's Dining Club in Los Anonos, Escazú. Info: 289-6087.
Unity Service in Spanish
Service will be held 5-6:15 p.m. Saturday at the Centro Cultural Alforja in San Pedro de Montes de Oca. Info: 203-4411, 381-5147.
13-Kilometer Race
From the National Stadium in west San José to the Forum Business Park in Santa Ana, 9 a.m. Sunday. Registration at Runners stores in Pavas and Curridabat. Info: 592-5362.
Edited by Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotimes.net
President Abel Pacheco
Says He's Not Leaving
By Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotimes.net
President Abel Pacheco yesterday denied rumors he would resign as Costa Rica's President.
“I'm neither leaving nor dying,” Pacheco said.
For the third time in as many days he maintained the country's ongoing political crisis is “under control.”
His words came during a press conference following an emergency Cabinet meeting yesterday morning, prompted by the resignation of seven top government officials this week.
“I have confidence in my Cabinet. I have confidence in this country. I have confidence in all the organizations in this country,” Pacheco said. “I'm receiving support from the (business) chambers and the (labor) unions. This has served to strengthen me. (...) There will be no more resignations, they (remaining ministers) have all assured me,” he said.
Pacheco denied his government has lost credibility because of the tumultuous events in the past two weeks, which included protests, blockades of the nation's highways, ports and borders, labor strikes, a controversial agreement meant to end the civil unrest and the resignations of his Cabinet members and other top-level officials.
Shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Public Works and Transport Minister Javier Chaves announced he was resigning. Ignacio Sanchéz, director of the Transit Police, confirmed his resignation soon after.
At 6 p.m. the same day, the three top officials at the Foreign Trade Ministry (COMEX) – Foreign Trade Minister Alberto Trejos, Foreign Trade Vice-Minister Gabriela Llobet and Anabel González, head Costa Rican negotiator for the proposed Central American Free-Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States – also announced they were resigning.
Their decision came two days after Presidency Minister Ricardo Toledo, who was widely regarded as Pacheco's right-hand man, announced he was resigning from his post as a result of pressure from the government's economic team and the country's business sector.
In the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 31, Toledo, Chaves and Labor Minister Ovidio Pacheco signed a controversial agreement with representatives of more than 30 labor unions and transport driver associations that ended eight days of public unrest. As part of the pact, the government agreed to increase the salaries of the country's 157,000 public employees by 0.5% above a 4.5% increase already reached (TT, Sept. 3).
While the agreement succeeded in putting an end to the protests that paralyzed the country, it alienated the President's economic team and the business sector.
Finance Minister Alberto Dent and Ronulfo Jiménez, the President's top economic advisor, said the country could not afford the salary increases and resigned in protest. Replacements have not yet been named.
Citing the same reasons as Dent and Jiménez, Silena Alvarado, acting Finance Minister and Finance Vice-Minister in charge of expenditures, resigned from her post on Monday.
Fourteen Cabinet members have resigned since Pacheco took office in May 2002. Only nine of the original 21 ministers of the Pacheco administration remain in their posts.
High Court Rules President's
War Support Unconstitutional
By Steven J. Barry
sbarry@ticotimes.net
The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) has ruled President Abel Pacheco's decision to support the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq last year is unconstitutional, and ordered the government of Costa Rica to ask the United States to remove the country's name from the “Coalition of the Willing.”
The court voted unanimously to side with the Ombudsman and two Costa Rican lawyers, each of whom filed an act of unconstitutionality against the President last year.
The seven justices resolved that “for going against the Constitution; the international system of the United Nations, and the international treaties accepted by Costa Rica, the agreement of the nineteenth day of March of 2003, relating to the warlike conflict in Iraq, is annulled, as is all acts or action related to it.”
The President said he would comply with the court's order, but continued to deny that he ever supported the war.
“We never declared war against Iraq. Those are just stories,” the President said. “It's a matter I consider to be in the past.”
Both Pacheco and Foreign Minister Roberto Tovar said the Sala IV ruling states that they never declared or supported war against Iraq.
However, the copy of the Sala IV ruling given The Tico Times by Judicial Branch representatives makes no such specification.
Comptroller General Declares
Riteve Contract Unconstitutional
Comptroller General Alex Solís announced yesterday that the controversial Riteve SyC contract to perform the regular technical inspections required of all vehicles in Costa Rica is in fact a monopoly, and violates the Constitution as such. He differed the matter to the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV).
Solís was asked to rule on the legality of the Riteve contract last month during eight days of demonstrations and road blockades demanding the opening of the Riteve monopoly, among other things (TT, Sept. 3).
The Comptroller General also expressed serious doubts on the capabilities of the Public Transportation Council (CTP) to regulate Riteve.
Flood Alert Issued for
Pacific Central, Southern Zones
Residents and travelers in Costa Rica, particularly in the central and southern Pacific coastal areas should remain alert to potential heavy rains generated by Hurricane Ivan.
The National Emergency Commission (CNE) issued an alert yesterday afternoon, warning that the hurricane was 695 kilometers east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.
The CNE said it will open temporary shelters and activate local disaster prevention committees to help should the need arise. Communities have stores of mattresses, blankets and food ready for those who may be in need.
The emergency officials asked people to tune into news reports and keep an eye out for landslides and floods.
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