The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, has said that Costa Rica is “jeopardising the possibility of talks” by asking for the removal of Nicaraguan troops from the territory disputed by both countries.
He said that Costa Rica was making negotiations between the countries difficult because “Nicaragua isn’t occupying Costa Rican land”.
He said that the only thing the Costa Rican government was achieving with the demand was to “renege on the promise” to hold talks that their vice president made in Belize during the Summit for Heads of State for the System for Integration in Central America (SICA).
In Belize, representatives of Costa Rica and Nicaragua agreed to hold talks with the mediation of the Guatemalan and Mexican governments.
The proposal was made by the president of Guatemala, Alvaro Colom, and the Mexican vice chancellor, Rubén Baltrán on behalf of all Latin Americans.
Colom said that the mediation process would help reduce “the tension between the parties and create an atmosphere conducive to negotiation and reaching a more satisfactory solution that their current differences.”
Costa Rica has made the withdrawal of Nicaraguan Troops from land that both countries claim as theirs, a new condition for negotiations.
The Nicaraguan government iterated that it is ready to hold “conditionless” talks with Costa Rica to relax diplomatic tensions.
The case continues at the International Court of Justice in The Hague and could last for more than four years. The court will resolve the dispute over the border between both countries following Costa Rica brought the case to the tribunal.
Costa Rica claims that Nicaragua invaded its territory and that it has caused significant environmental damage to an area of wetlands. Nicaragua has said that its soldiers are in Nicaraguan territory, engaged in a battle against drug trafficking.
Story courtesy of Agencia Pulsar, a news agency run by AMARC-ALC network of community radios.
