From: sangu@igc.apc.org (David Sangurima)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Subject: IPS:Costa Rica-Honduras Clash
Date: 10 Oct 92 02:56:00 GMT
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1473800343:000:4805
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!sangu    Oct  9 19:56:00 1992


From: David Sangurima <sangu>
Subject: IPS:Costa Rica-Honduras Clash

/* Written 12:13 am  Oct  4, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "HONDURAS-COSTA RICA: RELATIONS AT A" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Agriculture
Title: HONDURAS-COSTA RICA: RELATIONS AT A LOW OVER FISHMAN KIDNAPPING


tegucigalpa, oct 1 (ips) -- relations between costa rica and
honduras have sunk to a low ebb due to discrepancies over the
kidnapping of costa rican security minister luis fishman by a
former honduran intelligence agent.

the head of honduras' armed forces, general luis discua,
thursday described as ''irresponsible and dangerous'' statements
made by fishman following his release.

and san jose has asked the honduran government to clarify the
affair, while costa rican president rafael angel calderon has
decided not to attend a summit of central american presidents to
be held in honduras this month.

fishman was abducted after he went to the ''juan bosco''
institute in san jose on sep. 23 for a meeting with lieutenant
colonel manuel luna, former intelligence agent orlando ordonez
and bishop luis santos, all of honduras.

at the time ordonez had been living in costa rica for months.

the incident occurred while fishman was engaged in on-going
negotiations with ordonez and santos over two hondurans
supposedly killed by their country's armed forces years ago, for
which the inter-american human rights court condemned honduras.

ordonez had purported that the two were alive, had been living
in colombia and wanted to visit costa rica.

after ordonez threatened to shoot the minister, fishman called
the mexican ambassador in san jose, carmen moreno, who
transported the four to the airport from where they flew to
honduras.

on the following day fishman was released while ordonez
travelled to mexico under the diplomatic protection of that
country and the papal representative in honduras. costa rica has
requested his extradition, while honduras has been contemplating
similar action.

fishman said later in costa rica that his family paid a
mexico and returned to the minister's relatives.

the dubious affair raised many questions in costa rica's
parliament, where opposition legislators criticized what they
saw as the ingenuity of the security minister.

there have been insistent rumours in tegucigalpa that
fishman's abduction was linked to a conflict between the
intelligence agencies of the united states and israel.

the incident has been described here as a u.s. central
intelligence agency (cia) operation aimed at hurting fishman, who
reportedly ''handed over'' his country's intelligence services to
israel, according to the costa rican media. (more)
----


honduras-costa rica: relations at a low over fishma(2)

the minister is of jewish origin.

fishman incurred the displeasure of the honduran authorities
when he said following his release that he had felt pressured by
ordonez, luna and santos.

he said wednesday that, while he did not want to incriminate
santos and luna, their behaviour was strange and, moreover, they
were not kidnapped. he claimed that at certain moments of the
kidnapping there was even a complicity between the his abductor,
ordonez, and the other two hondurans.

however, bishop santos, who is an outsproken critic of the
honduran government, said he intervened only when asked to do so
by honduran president rafael callejas and that what had been
important to him was protecting fishman's life and preventing the
affair from having a violent ending.

fishman's insinuations against lieutenant colonel luna drew a
sharp response from the head of the honduran armed forces.

discua said thursday that his statements were ''irresponsible
and dangerous, since the honduran armed forces would never cover
up for a delinquent like orlando ordonez betancourt.''

but it took discua six days to admit that ordonez had been
recruited for military service in 1974 and that he worked for a
number of years in the honduran secret police, although he said
the kidnapper had been kicked out of the service because of
criminal activities.

ordonez had asked the honduras criminal rights committee
(codeh) for assistance in leaving the country on aug. 27, 1991,
claiming that he was persecuted by former colleagues of the 3-16
batallion, a military intelligence unit accused of abducting
many people in the 1980s.

sources in honduras have also hinted that the fishman
abduction might have been stage monitored to harm the image of
honduras' human rights groups, which have been critical of the
tegucigalpa government, and which had helped ordonez to leave the
country. (end/ips/trd/so/jrd-oh/kb/92)
----
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