by Rod Hughes

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega publicly acknowledged that the dispute over the San Juan River navigation would have to be resolved by the World Court at The Hague. He made the admission during a lengthy press conference following two hours of discussion with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.

Relations between the two presidents are not personally warm because of deep ideological differences but the issue of allowing police carrying arms and tourist boats to pass on the San Juan without interference is a long-standing controversy between the two nations. A flawed 19th century treaty makes the river Nicaraguan territory while still allowing Costa Rican boat traffic to use the waterway–except for warships.

The Nicaraguan government seems to see outboard motorboats with sidearm-bearing police aboard as warships. The fact that Costa Rica has had no military since 1949 makes no impression on any of the Nicaraguan governments in the past decade. The need for Costa Rican police to supply their outposts by water because of dense jungle and swamp in the area likewise makes no impression, despite the fact that armed drug smugglers can use the border for their activities.

After years of bickering, in 2005 Costa Rica placed the matter before the World Court but the prospect of arbitration did not set well with Nicaragua’s foreign policy makers–they seemed to look upon the move as a dirty trick. At times the countries’ foreign ministries have simply refused to talk, not only about the San Juan but also about the flood of immigrants from Nicaragua entering Costa Rica.

Despite the sour relations of the past, the two presidents donned diplomatic smiles and spoke out for a “friendly” resolution in the court. Ortega said that soon a group of lawmakers from his country would come to talk to Legislative Assembly deputies here about the need to draft a new Costa Rican immigration act. On this issue, Arias and his visitor have some common ground; Arias has refused to enforce the law passed during the past Administration because he sees it as “unworkable” and flawed by human rights issues.

But while Arias remained firm on navigation rights on the northern border, he did give Ortega the generous word that this country would forgive “an important part” of Nicaragua’s $630 million debt and would throw his weight into Ortega’s efforts to reduce debt to other nations. Nicaragua is in far worse shape economically than Costa Rica and the situation was made worse by the need to rebuild the ravages of the hurricane that hit northern Nicaragua a few months ago.