Nicaragua To Impose Visa For Costa Ricans
The dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica over navigation rights of the San Juan river that divides the two countries continue to smolder with Nicaragua's announcement yesterday that it will require a visa for Costa Ricans to enter Nicaragua.

Normal Caldera, Nicaragua's Chancellor, says that the action is a reciprocal move since Nicaraguans need a visa to enter Costa Rica. "They are doing the same to us", said Caldera.

The presidential decree that would impose a visa restriction is not yet in place but will be in the coming days, said Caldera. Ticos (Costa Ricans) that now pay us$5 to enter Nicaragua will be required to pay us$20 under the new rule.

Caldera also said that the plan to charge a 35% tarriff on Tico goods announced earlier this week will be scrapped.

The Costa Rican foreign ministry would not comment on the imposition of a visa by the Nicaraguan, only confirming that the neighbours to the north are studying the idea.

Earlier this month, Nicaragua's foreign ministry recalled Ambassador Francisco Fiallos from Costa Rica, saying that Oscar García said Fiallos had been called for consultations over Costa Rica's decision to bring the dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

The dispute of the countries over navigational rights on the San Juan river dates back to almost a decade. Costa Rica does claim ownership and recognized Nicaragua's sovereignty over the river, but claims the right to patrol the river.

The dispute has already led President Nicaraguan Enrique Bolaños to send troops to the border region. Officials in both country said they might impose punitive financial measures on the other.

The San Juan River, which marks the border between the two countries but runs through Nicaraguan territory, has been a disputed area since 1998, when then-Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman banned armed Costa Rican police patrol boats from the river and began charging Costa Rican tourist boats to ply the river.

Costa Rica insists that it has full navigation rights based on the 1858 Canas-Jerez Treaty, which granted ownership of the river to Nicaragua but permitted commercial use by Costa Rica on a section of the river along its border.