Costa Rica To Move Embassy From Jerusalem
President Oscar Arias said on Wednesday his government had decided to move its embassy in Israel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.

Oscar Arias, said at a meeting of key legislators that the decision was aimed at adhering to UN resolutions and gaining more friends in the Middle East, especially those in the Arab world.

"It's time for us to correct a historic mistake that hurts us internationally and deprives us of almost all forms of friendship with the Arab world," said Arias.

The move, however, should not be interpreted as a symbol that Costa Rica alienates its relations from Israel. The move is more financially motivated that political, he added

Costa Rica has maintained its embassy in Jerusalem since 1982.

Israel, which captured the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, claims Jerusalem as its "undivided and eternal" capital.

The Palestinians, however, have been disputing this, vowing to build an independent state with East Jerusalem as their capital.

If implemented, the only country to have its embassy in the Israeli capital would be El Salvador.

"Given the fact that Costa Rica is a shining light of democracy in Latin America, this action against another democracy, Israel, is particularly painful," David Harris, the American Jewish Committee's executive director, said in a statement Wednesday.