Archive for November 20th, 2008
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Costa Rica’s fresh produce industry leaders applauded the country’s long anticipated entry into the Central American Free Trade Agreement in mid-November and said the pact will benefit both Costa Rica and the U.S.
While Costa Rica’s fresh produce exports to the U.S. already receive duty-free access because of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act, Costa Rica sources say the free trade deal will allow growers and packers to purchase U.S. machinery and other inputs at zero tariff levels.
Costa Rica’s long-awaited entrance into the CAFTA agreement will also be good for U.S. exporters of apples, grapes and other items. For example, Costa Rica’s applied tariff on apples is 16% and that will drop to zero after Jan. 1. (more…)
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Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Oscar Arias Sanchez, president of the unarmed state of Costa Rica, has called for a global reduction of military spending.
“The perverse logic that leads a poor nation to spend excessive sums on its armies, and not on its people, is exactly the antithesis of human security, and a serious threat to international security,” said Arias in an address before the UN Security Council, over which Costa Rica presides this month.
Although Costa Rica has no military, “it is not a naive nation,” stressed Arias, a 1987 Novel Peace Prize laureate.
“We have not come here for the abolition of all armies. We have not even come to urge the drastic reduction of world military spending, which has reached 3.3 billion dollars a day.”
He suggested that “a gradual reduction is not only possible, but also imperative, particularly for developing nations.”
Sanchez also urged the world body to adopt a treaty regulating arm exports, saying “The destructive power of the 640 million small arms and light weapons that exist in the world, 74 percent in the hands of civilians, has proven to be more lethal than nuclear weapons, and is one of the primary threats to national and international security. “
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Thursday, November 20th, 2008
A Costa Rican official says two Americans and four others have been arrested for allegedly sending restricted pharmaceutical drugs to the United States.
Security Minister Janina del Vecchio says the Americans were responsible for shipping the drugs, while two Costa Ricans led the group and two Colombians were in charge of managing a virtual pharmacy on the Internet and buying the drugs in Guatemala.
She said the ring sent at least 80 packages containing Lorazepam, Ritalin, Tafil and Arcedol, among other drugs, to the Unites States since February.
This is the second group arrested in last 12 months in Costa Rica that allegedly shipped restricted pharmaceuticals to the U.S.
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Thursday, November 20th, 2008
China National Petroleum Corporation has signed a joint venture agreement with Costa Rica’s state refinery RECOPE to build an oil refinery in Costa Rica.
This is the first oil and gas cooperation project in Central America since China and Costa Rica established diplomatic relations in June 2007.
According to the agreement, the parties will set up a joint venture in Costa Rica, with a total term of 25 years, to upgrade, reconstruct and expand Costa Rica’s 1.2-million-ton refinery; to increase its processing capacity; improve product quality and environmental protection; and meet Costa Rica’s demand for oil. The JV is expected to increase the existing oil refinery’s processing capacity to three million tons annually. On addition, the two parties will conduct a feasibility study on a 10 million ton refinery.
The signing of the agreement is believed to be an important step in CNPC’s energy cooperation in Central America.
CNPC specializes in oil and gas upstream and downstream operations, oilfield services, engineering and construction, petroleum material and equipment manufacturing and supply, capital management, finance and insurance services and new energy operations.
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