Costa Rica Promotes Tourism Of The San Juan River

Alfio Piva, Costa Rica's second vice-president, on Saturday proposed that the residents of Tiricias de Cutris and other border communities to join the government to undertake a tourism development plan for the San Juan river along the border with Nicaragua.

"This border area is one of the most beautiful parts of Costa Rica and you must now take advantage of the opening of the road parallel to the river for personal gain. Costa Ricans I invite you to visit Tiricias", said Piva.

He emphasized that the conditions exist to make the border area one of the more prosperous areas of Costa Rica, but added that the residents will have to take the initiative to improve their living conditions.

Piva was speaking during the inauguration of the electrification of Tiricias, a work project by the Cooperativa de Electrificación de San Carlos (Coopelesca) with financial support of the Asignaciones Familiares the San Carlos mayor.

Costa Rica has remained firm against the accusations of its neighbour of environmental damage caused by the construction of the road, a road that connects many of the northern communities that relied only on the river in the past.

Luis Liberman, Costa Rica's first vice-president, told the villagers that Costa Rica will not yield and is determined to complete the construction of the road.

Without making referencing to Nicaragua, the VP said Costa Rica is a sovereign territory and "no foreign government or any court not recognized, can say what we can do or not do".

Liberman's court reference is to the "Corte Centroamericana de Justicia (Central American Court of Justice)" that this past (see story) week ordered Costa Rica to halt the construction of the road.

The road project, acknowledged Liberman, lacks the resources to build the two largest bridges over the San Carlos and Sarapiqui rivers.