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CA presidents meet in Costa Rica

14 Mar 2008

Dear friends,

Find below follow up information regarding the ongoing negotiations to
conclude an association agreement between Central America and the European
Union.

Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala are not yet States Parties to the
ICC. Together with Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama (as an Observer State)
– States Parties to the International Criminal Court- these nations
finalized the second round of negotiations to conclude an Association
Agreement with the European Union in February. On January 24, 2008, El
Nuevo Diario (Nicaragua) reported that the European Union's Ambassador to
Central America and Panama, H.E. Ms. Francesca Mosca, said that
ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court's is
a point of negotiation, 'but that it is not a pre-condition' for the
conclusion of an association agreement between Central American States and
the European Union.

In this context, several news outlets have reported on a Presidential
meeting held in San Jose de Costa Rica on March 12, chaired by Costa Rican
President Oscar Arias (former member of the Trust Fund for Victims of the
ICC), highlighting in particular, discussions and concerns expressed by El
Salvador and Nicaragua in reference to the potential inclusion of an ICC
clause in the association agreement and the obstacles for ICC
ratification. According to the press communiqué issued after the meeting,
Central America reinstated their will to ask the European Union to respect
each country's position towards the International Criminal Court.'

An excerpt of the communiqué reads:

“The Presidents of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and
Nicaragua, gathered in San Jose, Costa Rica, on March 12 2008 to
acknowledge the advances in the ongoing negotiations for an Association
Agreement between Central America and the European Union state:

……. Reiterate that the most serious crimes of concern to the international
community as a whole should not remain unpunished, and their prosecution
should be warranted by appropriate means, at national or international
levels, and with full respect to the domestic legal orders of the States,
acknowledging the discretionary sovereignty of States to accede or not to
the Rome Statute…”

To see full communiqué (in Spanish) see:
http://www.minex.gob.gt/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2181&Itemid=1

Note that the translations below are unofficial and are provided by the
CICC Secretariat as a service to our members, and should not be used for
quoting in any official documents.

With regards,

Mariana Rodriguez-Pareja
CICC
***************
Chronological order

12 March 2008

1) “Presidentes centroamericanos pedirán a UE ‘respeto’ a realidad local”,
Xinhua (China)
http://spanish.peopledaily.com.cn/31617/6372389.html

“The Presidents of Central America gathered on March 12 in the Casa
Presidencial in Costa Rica and asked the European Union to respect the
‘local reality’ when establishing conditions for the conclusion of an
Association agreement between both regions.

Presidents Oscar Arias (Costa Rica), Manuel Zelaya (Honduras) , Daniel
Ortega (Nicaragua), Alvaro Colom (Guatemala) and Antonio Saca (El
Salvador), met on Wednesday to reaffirm their solid position as ‘regional
block’ in light of the upcoming third round of negotiations with the EU.

The governments defended each country’s position towards the Rome Statute,
founding treaty of the International Criminal Court….

El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua have not ratified this international
treaty.

[Salvadorian President Antonio] Saca said that the Constitution of his
country does not allow for ICC ratification…”

2) “Centroamericanos rechazan a Corte Penal Internacional,” El Nuevo
Diario (Nicaragua)
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/centroamerica/10549

“El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala will not join the International
Criminal Court (ICC), a position that was endorsed by Honduras and Costa
Rica, despite the European Union’s request for the conclusion on an
association agreement.

The Presidents of those countries met this Wednesday in San Jose to
reaffirm their positions to advance in the dialogue with the EU….

Salvadorian President Antonio Saca said in the press conference that the
agreement reached by the heads of the Central American states should be
‘respected by the other party, which is the Europeans.’

He justified his country’s rejection to the ICC, stating the existence of
a ‘constitutional obstacle… that cannot be solved’ in order to accede to
the Rome Statute.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega expressed that ‘in a negotiation, the
principles of each country or region should be respected and the
commercial relation cannot be conditioned to something that goes against
the institutional order of one of the parties…”

13 March 2008

1) “Centroamérica rechaza presión de UE para sumarse a Corte Penal
Internacional,” AFP (via Google)
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iorPGbQeOteetOQUtNB_LKyh3qHQ

“The central American presidents gathered on Wednesday in San Jose and
rejected the request of the European Union asking all the countries in the
region to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,
as a pre-condition for the conclusion of an association agreement between
both regions.

…‘El Salvador will not ratify the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court,’ said emphatically Saca. ‘We have to overcome some
constitutional obstacles for that.’…”

2) “Istmo rechaza presión de UE para reconocer Corte Penal,” La Nación de
Costa Rica
http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/marzo/13/pais1460031.html

“The Presidents of the Central America met yesterday in San Jose and
rejected the pressure by the European Union on political issues….

To acknowledge the discretional sovereignty of States to accede or not to
the Rome Statute was the highlight in yesterday’s joint communiqué of
presidents Saca, Zelaha, Ortega, Colom and Arias….”

See also:

a- “C.A. acuerda no ceder ante presión europea,” La Prensa Grafica (El
Salvador)
http://www.laprensagrafica.com/nacion/1011967.asp

b- “Acuerdo regional en Centroamérica para negociar con la UE,” Agencia
Pulsa (Ecuador)
http://www.agenciapulsar.org/nota.php?id=12329

c- “Centroamérica rechaza condicionamientos políticos de la Unión
Europea,” Diario CoLatino (El Salvador)
http://www.diariocolatino.com/es/20080313/internacionales/53082/

d- “Saca Afirma Unión Europea No Ejerce Presión Para Ratificar Estatuto
De Roma,” Telediario (Guatemala)
http://www.telediario.com.gt/index.php?id=9311&tim=

14 March 2008

1) “La corte de La Haya, nuevo escollo entre la UE y Centroamérica,” El
Pais (España)
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/corte/Haya/nuevo/escollo/UE/Centroa
merica/elpepuint/20080314elpepuint_3/Tes

“ ICC Ratification has become a new obstacle for the ongoing negotiations
between the European Union and Central America. The request by Brussels to
all five countries to become parties to the Rome Statute caused several
adverse reactions from the Presidents, who met on Wednesday in Costa
Rica’s capital San José, to elaborate a common response to this request,
considered by them as a ‘condition’…”

Also see:

Primerísimo (Guatemala)
http://www.radiolaprimerisima.com/noticias/general/26189
La Prensa (Nicaragua)
http://www.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2008/marzo/13/noticias/politica/248631.shtml
Diario Ecos (España)
http://www.elecodiario.es/espana/noticias/416209/03/08/Centroamerica-rechaza-pre
siones-de-UE-para-adherirse-a-CPI.html
Informativo y Análisis de América Latina (Costa Rica)
http://www.infolatam.com/entrada/centroamerica_presidentes_definen_priori-7437.h
tml
La Opinión (EE.UU.)
http://www.laopinion.com/latinoamerica/?rkey=00000000000003443790
Yahoo noticias en español
http://espanol.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/080312/latinoamerica/amc_gen_centroamerica_ue
La Voz (EE.UU.)
http://www.azcentral.com/lavoz/spanish/latin-america/articles/latin-america_2146
04.html
Al Día (EE.UU.)
http://www.aldiatx.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8VC5PN80.html
El Tiempo (Honduras)
http://www.tiempo.hn/mostrar_noticia.php?id=55994&seccion=3
Fuerteventura Digital (España)
http://www.fuertedigital.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=2995
Terra (España)
http://actualidad.terra.es/nacional/articulo/presidentes_centroamerica_ue_232078
8.htm
Prensa Libre (El Salvador)
http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2008/marzo/13/226075.html
La Prensa (Panamá)
http://www.prensa.com/hoy/negocios/1293077.html
El Nuevo Diario (Nicaragua)
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/nacionales/10611