From: David Sangurima <sangu@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Date: 13 Dec 92 09:51 PST
Subject: IPS:Costa Rica rejects federation
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1473800413:000:3723
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!sangu    Dec 13 09:51:00 1992


From: David Sangurima <sangu>
Subject: IPS:Costa Rica rejects federation

/* Written  7:49 am  Dec 13, 1992 by hrcoord@igc.apc.org in igc:reg.latinameri */
/* ---------- "CENTRAL AMERICA: COSTA RICA REJECTS" ---------- */
From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: CENTRAL AMERICA: COSTA RICA REJECTS

/* Written 12:20 am  Dec 13, 1992 by newsdesk@igc.apc.org in
igc:ips.englibrary */ Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all
rights reserved.  Permission to re- print within 7 days of
original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: CENTRAL AMERICA: COSTA RICA REJECTS POLITICAL INTEGRATION


panama city, dec 10 (ips) -- costa rica's president rafael angel
calderon thursday rejected a proposal submitted by three central
american presidents calling for the creation of a political
federation of central american countries.

speaking to reporters of a local radio station, calderon said any
regional political integration initiative ''must not be taken at
the expense of the national sovereignty of the countries in this
region, because none of them is prepared to lose its
independence.''

the political integration proposal had been submitted recently by
the governments of guatemala, honduras and el salvador. it came up
for discussion at the xiii central american summit meeting which
began here wednesday.

opposing the plan, in addition to costa rica, is panama and
nicaragua.

salvadorean president alfredo cristiani had said on arrival that
political federation ''could be a long-term objective, an
objective that could be reached at the end of the economic
integration process.''

responding to this viewpoint, calderon said costa rica considered
the present regional integration process to involve ''economic
integration, not political integration.''

in the first instance, he said, central america should be united
in defense of its basic products--such as bananas and coffee.

he was referring to the ongoing negotiations with european
community (ec) countries to prevent unfair import duties on
central american bananas.

according to calderon, the ec is trying to restrict the amount of
bananas imported from central america.

''on the one hand,'' calderon said, ''the ec is asking us to open
up our economies to foreign trade, and on the other it is imposing
restrictions on our export products.''

the central american cultural and economic integration process has
been in progress since 1986. but an effort to establish a central
american parliament, on the model of the european parliament, has
not been approved by costa rica. (more/ips)

central america: costa (2)

only guatemala, el salvador and honduras are at present
participating in the central american parliament, considered to be
a first step toward political association.

key topic on the summit's agenda is the establishment of a common
policy on banana exports--a major source of revenue for central
american countries.

but on thursday nicaragua also brought up the question of regional
security arrangements.

ernesto leal, nicaragua's foreign minister, said central american
countries should give more attention to such problems as adequate
food supplies, housing and employment rather than armaments.

it was more important, he said, to satisfy the basic necessities
of the population than to have more soldiers under arms.

leal is one of the ministers accompanying nicaraguan president
violeta chamorro at the summit meeting. he criticised the growing
protectionist measures adopted by some industrialised nations.

representing guatemala at the meeting is president jorge serrano.
honduras is represented by president rafael callejas and panama by
president guillermo endara.  (ends/ips/tr/sp/ip/sh/dc/cs/in/it)