Costa Rica to Take Nicaragua to Court
Costa Rica will present a case before the International Justice Court in the Hague regarding the treaty with Nicaragua on the Rio San Juan. Ex-president Arnoldo Aleman of Nicaragua unilaterally suspended the right of Costa Rican police officers to navigate the river with firearms in July of 1998.
This decision was widely seen as an attempt to deflect criticism and inquiries into his finances. In September of 2002 Presidents Pacheco and Bolaños signed an agreement to look for a peaceful settlement, this agreement has now expired.
The Cañas-JerĂ©z Treaty of 1858 gave the San Juan river to Nicaragua, but Costa Rica retained rights to navigate the river. Costa Rica will ask the court to fortify the rights in a decision: “Costa Rica asks that the court obligate Nicaragua to permit Costa Rican vessels and their passengers to freely navigate the river for commercial purposes, including tourism and passenger transport.”
The document also asks for permission to land freely on either side of the river, without duty or fees, except those negotiated between the governments.
The final point, which addresses directly the cause of the dispute, asks the the rights of official vessels be respected including “for resupply and change of personnel in the frontier posts along the river, with their official equipment, including ammunition and arms necessary for self-defense”.
Sentences of the International Justice Court are obligatory an without appeal.
Nicaragua Reacts
The Nicaraguan government stated that they “will not permit foreign armed forces” to navigate the river and ordered the army to be extra vigilent. Currently Costa Rican police take alternate routes to resupply posts and change personnel. The Congress passed a bill that imposes a 35% tax on Costa Rican products that enter the country.