PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF COSTA RICA

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF COSTA RICA

At a Headquarters press briefing this morning, President Miguel Angel Rodriguez Echeverria of Costa Rica said Latin American countries currently held closer relationships than ever thanks to trade agreements in different sub-regions which allowed them to have closer access to other markets.

“I think that what we will be seeing in Latin American countries is more and more free trade relations between different groups of countries that will converge towards the economic integration of the whole hemisphere”, the President added. He said his Government was negotiating a free trade agreement with Chile as well as with Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, Costa Rica already had a free trade agreement with Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Furthermore, positive relationships between the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and Central American countries had been agreed a year ago.

A correspondent asked about concrete policies regarding the up- coming November meeting of the Rio Group in Havana. The President replied that two weeks ago he had sent Cuba’s President, Fidel Castro, a letter explaining Costa Rica’s position as a leading country in human rights issues. His country’s history with Cuba went back to Jose Marti who had been twice in Costa Rica and had established movements to help in the liberalisation of Cuba. “For the President of Costa Rica to assist in the Havana meeting, it is necessary to assure that we will have the opportunity to meet with different political and human rights religious groups in a public and peaceful way in front of the press”, he emphasised. It was important that there be no repercussions against the people who attended those meetings. He had explained this to President Castro and was waiting for his reply.

Asked about Costa Rica’s position regarding the embargo against Cuba, President Rodriguez Echeverria said his country had never agreed with the embargo. “We believe that relations and the protection of human rights are better secured through an exchange between societies, as happened in Eastern Europe”, he said.

Another correspondent asked about President Rodriguez Echeverria’s meeting with Colombia’s President Andres Pastrana. The Costa Rican President explained that Colombia’s Government was aware that Costa Rica was at its disposal to cooperate, as appropriate, in the peace process, so that it could end in a successful way. The role of cooperating countries in that peace process needed to be discrete without attempting to gain any political advantage.

Replying to a question on his meetings scheduled in the United States, he told correspondents that he had already held meetings with Colombia’s, Paraguay’s and Tanzania’s Presidents as well as with the

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Prime Minister of France. Today, he would hold meetings with Yasser Arafat and with the United Nations Secretary-General. Tomorrow, he would meet with representatives from Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic, as well as other representatives from Central American countries. He would also meet with the Organisation of American States to express his concerns about the way oil prices were rising as a result of the artificial decline in supply established by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Prices were about $25 and current stocks in the United States had dropped significantly. The latter situation would be negative for both producer and consumer countries, he warned.

“We want to appeal to the producer countries to expand supply over the coming months and to pursue a different supply control policy which will not lead to these very adverse conditions for those of us who are importing petroleum and exporting our goods at very low prices”, he said. The prices for sugar, coffee and bananas were currently very low in the international market. During the 1980’s, Central American and Caribbean countries had received significant support by getting preferential access to the North American markets. Since then, however, the situation had significantly deteriorated.

There were currently different quotas and tariffs when it came to having access to United States markets’, he went on. Many Central American countries had spent several years attempting to have equal and fair access, such as Mexico’s, in the context of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Among his meetings in the United States, he had scheduled a trip to Washington to meet with members of the Senate and the House of Representatives to promote the initiative on the Colombian basin.

What explanation did the Costa Rican Government have for maintaining relations with Taiwan when China had always been opposed to the idea of two Chinas? a correspondent asked. He replied that Costa Rica had had relations with the Republic of China since the 1940’s. Those relations, which had continued with the Government that had moved to Taiwan, were based on mutual respect, democracy, human rights and Costa Rica’s admiration of the process of economic growth achieved in Taiwan. The record of shared relations and values meant that his Government intended to continue with such relations. “We have profound respect for the situation of mainland China and its Government and if we could have relations with both of them, we would be extremely happy”, he told correspondents.

Regarding the economy, President Rodriguez Echeverria explained that his Government still needed to overcome internal debt and fiscal balance problems. His country was still in no position to achieve the dollarisation of the economy.

Asked on his Government’s position regarding the situation in the Middle East, he said that Costa Rica was firmly committed to peace. It was important to implement the agreements established to bring peace and to establish the new kind of relationship between Israel and the

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Palestinian Authority. His country was anxious to cooperate even with its limited possibilities and resources.

Answering a correspondent’s question on the problems that had evolved after the establishment of ecotourism, such as sex tourism, President Rodriguez Echeverria said there was no relation between ecotourism and sex tourism. Costa Rica had just adopted legislation making sex relations for payment with minors punishable by prison. His country was far from attractive for those who wished to engage in such activities. His countrymen did not want to become a destination for those seeking a tourist attraction related to sex. “We want to be a tourist destination for those interested in enjoying and sharing with Costa Ricans the beauties of our natural world”, he explained. Twenty per cent of Costa Rica’s territory was already preserved as national parks that had an incredible bio-diversity considering its surface area. Within a tiny land area, his country had more diversity of birds than the whole territorial area of the United States and Canada together. The latter allowed his country to offer a very special type of tourism. “Tourism without artificial ingredients is offered by Costa Rica”, he said. People could explore the forests, canoe on rivers, birdwatch, go to the beach and dive in the coral reefs. There was a tremendous range of possibilities for tourists that his country wanted to develop.

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