Costa Rica denounces border dispute before U.N.

Eduardo Ulibarri, the Costa Rican Ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.), denounced the Nicaraguan occupation of the Isla Calero before the General Assembly of the U.N. on Monday. Ulibarri told the members of the council that presence of the Nicaraguan troops is a “clear violation” of Costa Rican sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity.  

“Due to an incomprehensible, unjustified and unacceptable act by the government of Nicaragua, our region has taken a disastrous step backwards en our efforts to overcome our disappointing past and embrace a better future,” Ulibarri said. “The principal victim of this conduct is Costa Rica, but the effects transcend the entire region and beyond.”

Ulibarri also recounted the various measures Costa Rica has taken to resolve and create awareness of the conflict through diplomatic bodies, such as the Organization of American States (OAS), the Ibero-American Summit in Argentina, a Binational Commission meeting (which was cancelled), and the Secretary of the International Convention on Wetlands (RAMSAR). The case will next be heard before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands from Jan. 11-13.

“Costa Ricans have the right to live without an army,” he said. “We decided to do so in 1949. No effort or arbitrary action will cause us to stray from that path. However, to maintain it, we depend on the multilateral system and international bodies that reinforce national rights.”