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Nobel laureate Arias becomes Costa Rica's new president
By Arturo Gudino
AFP
SAN JOSE
Petroleumworld.com 05 09 06
Nobel Peace laureate Oscar Arias returned Monday to Costa Rica's presidency and to his mission to make the Central American nation one of the most prosperous in Latin America.
"We are at a defining moment," he told a crowd after his inauguration.
"We cannot continue without direction, in endless discussions among ourselves, pursuing a mirage of unanimity, as if time did not exist."
He plans to push through congressional ratification of a regional free-trade pact between Central America and the United States, despite opposition from labor unions and others.
Arias, who was president of this small country of four million from 1986 to 1990, was sworn in for a four-year term at the national stadium, replacing president Abel Pacheco.
Among the 50 delegations were presidents Vicente Fox of Mexico, Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, Alfredo Palacio of Ecuador, Enrique Bolanos of Nicaragua, Martin Torrijos of Panama, Manuel Zelaya of Honduras, Oscar Berger of Guatemala, Antonio Saca of El Salvador and Chen Shui-Bian of Taiwan.
Also in attendence were Prince Felipe of Spain, US First Lady Laura Bush and Nobel peace laureates Lech Walesa of Poland, Betty Williams of Ireland and Rigoberta Menchu of Guatemala.
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez canceled at the last minute, citing a trip to Europe and Africa the following day.
Arias, eager for talks with oil-rich Venezuela, expressed disappointment.
Now 65, Arias plans to make his country the most developed in Latin America in 20 years' time.
In the short term, he will seek congressional approval for the Central America Free Trade Agreement, CAFTA, comprising El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and the United States.
Opinion polls show the pact neatly divides the country 50-50 for and against, so far stymieing congressional passage.
The pact opens competition in the energy, telecommunications and insurance sectors, currently state monopolies.
Arias insists he is not a neoliberal but rather "a modern social democrat" who wants to "put Costa Rica on its feet again and lay the groundwork so it can become in 20 years Latin America's foremost developed country".
Despite his trade plans, Arias is critical of wealthy nations' farm subsidies, which create barriers to goods from poor countries.
He signaled his independence from his powerful northern neighbor, criticizing US spending on arms, immigration controls and farm subsidies.
Arias called on wealthy nations to "forgive debts and help developing countries invest in health, education and housing and less in weapons and armies," he said.
Arias says his Nobel laureate status will command attention when he speaks on behalf of developing countries at international forums.
Costa Rica's February 5 presidential election was so close that it was followed by a two-week manual recount of ballots. Arias squeaked by his rival, center-left economist Otton Solis, by 18,000 votes.
One of Costa Rica's top union leaders denounced the result as "tainted" and warned of "four years of conflict and social unrest".
A business tycoon with coffee and sugar plantations and interests in a financial group, Arias won the 1987 Nobel prize for his efforts to end Central American civil wars.
Between his two presidential terms, Arias nurtured his Arias Peace Foundation, which promotes demilitarization, as in Costa Rica, which has no standing army.
AFP 05 08 06 2124 GMT
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