Speakers Forum: global economies
Panel discussion on U.S. and global economies, moderated by Robert Nargang, 7-8:30 p.m., Beacon Escazú Hotel, 150 meters west of Central Park , Escazú. Info: 2289-6333, 8821-4708.

Miravalles Quintet in concert
Aug. 26-27, 8 p.m., National Theater.

Michael Jackson tribute concert
By Enrique Dodero, Iriabel and Vanessa González, with guests Gene Chambers and Manuel Fallas, 9 p.m., El Observatorio, Barrio La California, opposite Cine Magaly.

Not even an envoy of foreign ministers, hand-picked by the Organization of American States, was able to solve the stalemate in Honduras.

After a two-day visit to the Central American country, representatives from countries spanning the Americas issued a statement Tuesday in which they expressed “regret for not being able to obtain support for the San José Agreement.”

Since Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was marched from his home at gunpoint two months ago, international organizations have been working to stitch the country back together.

Their foremost concern is returning Zelaya to the presidency, a proposition that neither the Honduran legislature, the acting president or the Supreme Court has been willing to support.

Nobel Peace Prize-winning President Oscar Arias, who mediated the Honduran crisis from his home in Costa Rica in July, had drafted an accord – which he termed the San José Agreement – that he hoped would put an end to the crisis and return Honduras to normalcy.

More than a month later, and despite the prodding of the delegation of foreign ministers, Honduran leaders were unable to accept Arias' proposition.

Most people involved “agree with the fundamentals of the San José Agreement, although many expressed concerns about it,” read the statement from the delegation. “Authorities and state agencies expressed reservations on two points: the amnesty provision and … the return of Zelaya to presidency until January 27, 2010.”

The foreign ministers, who represented Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic, left on Tuesday without any concrete recommendations for next steps, except a call “on all sectors of Honduran society to sign the San José Agreement … which includes elements necessary for dialogue and reconciliation, a restoration of constitutional order and … the speedy reintegration of Honduras into the international community.”

The foreign ministers' visit took place one day after Honduras' Supreme Court ruled against key points in proposed San José plan and affirmed the legitimacy of de facto leader Roberto Micheletti's presidency.

Meanwhile, the United States has suspended tourist visas for Hondurans, meaning Honduran nationals will not be able to enter the U.S. on a tourist visa except under emergency conditions. The visa suspension by the U.S. is the latest in a series of sanctions by a number of countries, including trade embargoes and discontinued aid, all in the hopes of encouraging the acting government to accept the San José Agreement.

Amid the struggles of economic crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delivered positive news Monday, announcing that Costa Rica has weathered the brunt of the downturn and that the country is expected to see positive economic gains in 2010.

An IMF team visited Costa Rica from Aug. 10-21 to assess the state of the financial and economic status of the country. The IMF representatives met with Finance Minister Jenny Phillips, President of the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) Francisco de Paula Gutiérrez, as well as other government officials and members of the private and academic sector. At the completion of the discussions, Andreas Bauer, the IMF mission chief for Costa Rica, assured the country that economic recovery is expected.

“The Costa Rican economy has withstood the impact of the global economic and financial crisis relatively well,” Bauer said. “The strategy to shield the economy from external shocks through fiscal stimulus and the mobilization of contingent external financing has helped preserve confidence and financial stability, and mitigated the decline of the economy.”

Bauer added that, though gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to see a 1.5 percent decline in 2009, the recent resurgence in economic activity should lead to 2.3 percent growth in GDP in 2010.

A theme throughout Bauer's presentation was the sound financial and social responsibility by firms and businesses, praised for their timeliness in the repayment of credit lines and commitment to investing in human and physical capital.

In April, the IMF approved a stand-by arrangement, which was a 15-month agreement that offered Costa Rica access to an as-needed fund of over $730 million. The precautionary fund was offered as support in case of continued economic and financial weakness. Costa Rica has yet to dip into the fund and has met the “ quantitative performance criteria and structural benchmarks” of the agreement, according to the IMF.

More than 150 doctors and health experts descended on Costa Rica this week to discuss the challenges medical personnel face when providing immunizations in the region.

The 18th conference organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) comes in the embrace of the H1N1 pandemic; the largest influenza outbreak in the Americas since the Hong Kong Flu of 1968.

The H1N1 virus will certainly be a theme of the three-day event, which began Monday, said event organizers. But it's also a time to share immunization successes and challenges in the hopes “that international dialogue will strengthen national health,” said Socorro Gross-Galiano, assistant director of PAHO.

The swine flu has thus far claimed 33 lives in Costa Rica, and infected more than 1,000 people, including Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. As the flu continues to approach its peak in the country, the Arias administration has invested an additional $1.7 million for a “roaming team” of medical professionals, who will travel to vulnerable areas to assist in prevention activities.

To date, there is no vaccine for the swine flu and health officials have been using immunizations against the seasonal flu to protect vulnerable populations. They expect to develop an H1N1 virus-specific vaccine in September, according to PAHO.

In welcoming the 150 medical experts to Costa Rica on Monday at the National Theater, Arias thanked them for their efforts in immunization and made a specific mention of PAHO, which he said has ensured that “ America is better today than yesterday and worse than tomorrow.”

The Regional and Urban Planning for the Greater Metropolitan Area (PRUGAM) and the Housing Ministry (MIVAH) inaugurated a new park on Tuesday morning that is to serve an example for sustainable urban development.