Ortega In
Agreement For
Closer Ties With
Costa Rica
When the
attendance of
Daniel Ortega's
name was
announced during
Saturday's
inauguration
ceremony, the
Nicaraguan
president was
not in his seat;
the first
thought by many
was that he had
declined the
invitation that
had been
personally
delivered by
Chinchilla on
her trip to
Nicaragua two
weeks earlier.
Unlike the
rest of the
invited guests
Ortega was the
only dressed
"informally" -
dressed in his
unique black
leather jacket
and white open
collar shirt
jacket.
However, minutes
before 11 and
Laura Chinchilla
arriving on
stage, Ortega,
accompanied by
his wife,
Rosario Murillo,
were in their
seats and all
was well again.
The Ortega
presence at the
ceremony could
be a a harbinger
of better
relations
between Costa
Rica and
Nicaragua for
the next four
years.
While in
Nicaragua on
April 21,
Chinchilla was
left waiting at
the military
section of the
Managua airport
for more than an
hour before
Ortega arrived
for their
meeting.
After the
ceremony, Ortega
announced that
we would be
meeting with
Chinchilla "very
soon" to discuss
issues of
interest of both
nations,
especially the
subject of
Nicaraguan
immigrants in
Costa Rica.
Ortega was, when
leaving
backstage,
mobbed by
Nicaraguans
living in Costa
Rica and quickly
whisked away by
security to his
car and off to
the airport,
leaving Costa
Rica by 1:30pm.
The comment of
Ortega that he
and Chinchilla
would be meeting
soon seems to
mark the
beginning of a
dialogue between
the two nations,
something that
was not seen
during the Arias
administration,
due to a power
struggle between
the two men.
Meetings between
Ortega and Arias
during the past
four years were
sporadic and
usually
strained.
"I wish her
(Chinchilla) the
best and want to
work together on
joint issues",
Ortega said on
departure.
For her part,
Chinchilla has
made it known
that she intends
to work for a
closer
relationship
with the
neighbour to the
north,
especially in
the area of
security,
organized crime
and drug
trafficking that
plagues the
region. |
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