Chavez-Arias Differences May Escalate
By Blake Schmidt
Tico Times Staff | bschmidt@ticotimes.net
Government officials yesterday expressed concern over the potential closure of a Venezuelan state-owned aluminum plant in Costa Rica they say would be the result of political differences between President Oscar Arias and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.
The closure of CVG Aluminios Nacionales S.A. (Alunasa) – which appears likely after the company stopped ordering prime materials for production and began making layoffs yesterday – could further freeze already icy diplomatic relations between two nations whose leaders are on opposite sides of an ideological rift in Latin America.
The future of the plant, which employs about 400 people in the Pacific-slope town of Esparza, was called into question after Arias criticized Chávez for usurping power and “negating democracy” in an interview that aired on Radio Columbia earlier this month.
In a letter last week to Arias, Alunasa workers said Chávez may have decided to close the plant due to Arias’ comments, though Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno said the government couldn’t confirm this since there is little communication between the two governments.
In attempts to find a resolution, Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias met yesterday with Foreign Trade Minister Marco Vinicio Ruiz, Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno, Labor Minister Francisco Morales, Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) legislator Bienvenido Venegas and representatives of the company.
“We don’t know if they’re going to close operations, or if they want to move part of the plant or something else,” Arias told reporters at a press conference in the Casa Presidencial Monday.
Meanwhile, Alunasa employees sent a letter to Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez asking the socialist president to reconsider.