COSTA RICAN LEGISLATURE APPROVES JOINT ANTI-NARCOTICS PATROLS WITH U.S.

Costa Rican authorities are moving swiftly to solidify arrangements for joint US-Costa Rican anti-drug patrols that may begin as early as December. Provided the Costa Rican Supreme Court finds no constitutional objections, the bill authorizing the patrols is certain to pass the Legislative

The US State Department first made the proposal in July 1997 (see (EcoCentral, 1997-10-09). Talks on the agreement began in December 1998, but the Supreme Court struck down the first version because it deemed portions of it unconstitutional. A revised version was resubmitted to the legislature in July. In late August, the unicameral Assembly passed it by a 45-6 vote.

The Joint Patrol Agreement permits the US Coast Guard to enter Costa Rican territorial waters in pursuit of drug-trafficking vessels and permits US surveillance overflights in Costa Rican airspace. Under the agreement, US ships could detain but not arrest suspected drug runners. Arrests and confiscations would fall to Costa Rica authorities.

Opponents of the bill argue that it infringes on Costa Rican sovereignty, and they say the highest-ranking officers on board the US vessels should be Costa Rican, not US officers. The Assembly rejected a US proposal to install an intelligence center at the international airport in the northwest province of Liberia.

Deputy Jose Manuel Nunez of the Fuerza Democratica, who voted against the bill, said if the US wants to help Costa Rica fight drugs, it "should give us the resources."

Opponents also worry that the agreement will lead to a heavier US presence in the country and point to a proposed US-built police academy and a warehouse for confiscated drugs in the Caribbean port of Limon as evidence. They say these facilities are part of a plan to install a US military base in Costa Rica. Costa Rica's Ambassador in Washington Jaime Daremblum said negotiations are underway for the police academy, but he insisted it would be for civilian, not military personnel.

The two major parties, the governing Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) and Partido de Liberacion Nacional (PLN), support the joint-operations agreement. Foreign Relations Minister Roberto Rojas went so far as to say the agreement would work so well that other Central American countries would also want one.

Costa Rican government says it lacks resources to patrol

The government's view is that Costa Rica does not have the resources to stop the flow of drugs along its coasts and needs US help.

A US analysis of Costa Rica's drug-interdiction capabilities at the four bases used by the coast guard (Servicios de Vigilancia Maritima) concluded that its patrol boats were dangerously in need of repair and that communication equipment and buildings had deteriorated. Only one base is in operational condition, said the report.

The agreement includes provisions for sharing US drug intelligence with Costa Rica and the donation of helicopters and patrol boats.

Even before the second Assembly vote, Lizano announced a trip to Washington in September to make arrangements for the joint patrols and for the transfer of four patrol boats and two helicopters to Panama. Lizano said the base at the Pacific port of Golfito would become the coordinating center for joint operations. [Sources: La Nacion (Costa Rica), 08/17/99; Notimex, 06/09/99, 07/02/99, 08/17/99, 08/18/99; Inter Press Service, 08/20/99; The Tico Times (Costa Rica), 08/30/99]