The Lizzard continues to prowl the A.M. Costa Rica classified pages.

A reader who is selling puppies said Monday that he received an e-mail from a man who wanted to purchase his puppies with a third-party certified check.

This is another case of someone shifting the classified with some kind of scam in mind. Usually such scamsters target automobile ads.

However, this is the first time that the individual identified himself as Lizzard Inc.

This generated a question in the mind of the A.M. Costa Rica reader/advertiser. He said he talked to the puppy, Mimi:

"I showed the reply to Mimi and she thinks that the deal sounds okay, you know "certified cashier check" and all, but she is concerned about being adopted by a person named Lizzard. She is of the impression that lizards gobble up little puppies? I don’t know if there is any truth to this, however until I can check out this lizards diet, I’ll just hang on to the puppies . . . do you think I’m being overly cautious?

The scamster promises to handle the shipping of the dogs, just as in the past the same or similar scamster promised to handle the shipment of cars.

The scam is that the purchaser wants the seller to accept a foreign check in an amount much greater than the purchase price and to refund the difference via Western union immediately.

Girl struck down
by truck in Limón

A truck struck down a 5-year-old Limón girl and her 11-year-old school friend about 11 a.m. Monday near the entrance to that city. The younger girl died and her friend is in critical condition.

Neighbors were so angry at what had transpired they torched the truck tractor and flatbed trailer.

The driver had fled to escape the crowd’s wrath, but police found him later. They later identified him by the last name of Vasquez.

The dead girl was identified as Jenny Ferrofino Chavarría. She was crossing the street from her school in Barrio San Juan at a traffic light. Her friend is Lizzette Arroyo Mercado, and she is in Hospital de Niños in San José.

The tractor and trailer, which was empty, were destroyed. Investigators are seeking the people who torched the vehicle.

Taxi driver spent
time in his trunk

A pirate taxi driver spent nearly all day Sunday and early Monday morning in the trunk of his vehicle after bandits put him there early Sunday morning.

The man, Alex Vargas Gutiérrez, told police two men contracted his services about 2 a.m. Sunday morning near Parque Central in San José. They wanted a ride to Santa Ana but pulled guns and robbed him of his wallet and some 20,000 colons (about $50) before they got there. That is when they put in him the trunk.

Later they parked the car in Ciudad Colón, some 20 kms. (12 miles) west of San José. The car was near the Gimnasio Municipal there. The man managed to free himself Monday morning and contacted police.

Bolivian president
says he won’t quit

LA PAZ, Bolivia —  President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada says he will not resign, despite two days of rioting that have claimed at least 28 lives near this capital city.

In a defiant televised speech Monday, Sanchez de Lozada said he will stand firm in the face of demonstrators angry over his government's natural gas export plans. He insisted the government will defeat those who he said want to "eliminate and disintegrate" Bolivia. 

Labor unions and indigenous groups say the gas export plan would mostly benefit large foreign companies and not Bolivia's impoverished majority. 

Earlier in the day, President Sanchez de Lozada suspended the plan, saying Bolivians should have a chance to voice their opinions.  Observers say the program has become a lightning rod for groups angry over the president's policies. 

Monday, at least four people died in fighting between protestors and soldiers around La Paz, the capital. Much of the fighting took place in El Alto, a working-class suburb of La Paz, the capital. Meanwhile, demonstrations took place in La Paz and other cities. 

At least 42 people have been killed since a series of wider protests against the president's policies began three weeks ago. 

Also, Vice-President Carlos Mesa broke ranks with Sanchez de Lozada over his handling of the crisis. 
 

Democrats to consider
hot political topics

Democrats Abroad of Costa Rica will hear Francisco Cordero, an adviser to the Partido Liberación Nacional at its meeting Oct. 27.

Cordero will talk about the opposition to the proposed international law enforcement academy in Costa Rica and opposition to the proposed Central American free trade treaty.

The meeting is at 11 a.m. in the Gran Hotel Costa Rica. A  political discussion is followed by lunch at noon and the speaker at 12:30 p.m.

Lunch is 3,500 colons (about $8.50) for members and 4,000 ($9.75) for nonmembers.  To reserve a place, those interested should call David Sagel at 249-1856 or Ruth Dixon at 494-6260.  Everyone in the community is welcome, the club said.

The non-confrontational, pleasant discussion by Robert Zoellick with Costa Rican reporters Oct. 1 has been described as a warning, a threat and even an ultimatum.

The reporters seemed to hear what they (or perhaps their editors) wanted to hear. 

Zoellick, the U.S. trade representative, met with reporters for a few minutes on his whirlwind visit to Costa Rica, but the interpretations of what he said about a proposed free trade treaty have lingered to color Costa Rican policy.

However, his office in Washington has released a transcript of his comments, and the transcript reinforced the opinion of an A.M. Costa Rica reporter who was at the press conference. The transcript is verified by the reporter’s notes.

Zoellick did not insist that Costa Rica dismantle the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad. In fact he said "We understand that ICE is an institution that has a particular place in Costa Rican society. We understand how, in the minds of many, it’s associated with the social policies of the country. And as I’ve said to Minister Trejos and his colleagues, and to the President, we’re not seeking the privatization of ICE."

He was referring to Alberto Trejos, minister of Comercio Exterior and a key figure in the negotiations of a free trade treaty with the United States. Zoellick did say that for the good of the country and the future of its younger generation Costa Rica will need a better telecommunications system.

The closest Zoellick came to demanding access was when he talked about the service sector, an area far broader than just telecommunications. The service sector includes professional services and even insurance. He said:

"But I’ve been very clear: we need to open up the services market. That is necessary for me to bring back an agreement. The Central American neighbors are all willing to do that, but we need some more movement from Costa Rica. And we’ll work with you in a problem-solving way."

Yet the impression has been left that Zoellick was talking only about the telecommunications monopoly maintained by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad. Diario Extra seems to have done the best job of the major Spanish-language newspapers in reporting the tone of the trade representative’s brief talk.

Foes of the treaty have seized on the interpretation that Zoellick issued an ultimatum. 

We have included below the text of his comments.
 

What they said he said EFE, the Spanish news agency over the weekend: The discussion about the opening of telecommunications, under total control of the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, was revived a week ago after the visit of the foreign trade representative of the United States, Robert Zoellick, who warned that Costa Rica could remain outside the free trade treaty between his country and Central America if it did not open this market.   La Nacion Oct. 2: Headline: U.S. demands opening in telecommunication The foreign trade representative of the United States, Robert Zoellick was convincing yesterday: Costa Rica must show some type of opening in telecommunicaionts if it wants to participate in TLC [the free trade treaty].   Diario Extra Oct. 2 Headline: If Costa Rica does not open telecommunications it will remain outside the TLC [free trade treaty] with the United States . . . what I said to the minister is that the other four nations of the region agree in the opening of telecommunications and we know that the subject is sensitive and we have to manage this in some manner and obviously Costa Rica has its right to decide what it wants, but we need this as part of the agreement if the agreement is going to advance in some way  and this we have to discuss together, said Robert Zoellick, trade representative of the United States.   A.M. Costa Rica Oct. 2 Headline: Was he here for dialogue or to give a warning? Although he spoke in carefully chosen diplomatic phrases, Costa Ricans heard that the country might be left out of any free trade pact with the United States.   The Zoellick transcript: "We understand that ICE is an institution that has a particular place in Costa Rican society. We understand how, in the minds of many, it’s associated with the social policies of the country. And as I’ve said to Minister Trejos and his colleagues, and to the President, we’re not seeking the privatization of ICE. [text deleted] "So what I’ve said to the Minister is that the other four Central American countries agree on opening up telecommunications systems. We know it’s a sensitive issue, but we’re going to have to figure out a way to deal with this issue in some fashion. And obviously Costa Rica retains its right to decide what it wants, but we need this as part of the agreement if the agreement is going to go forward. In some fashion. And that’s what we need to discuss together.

Zoellick: Well first I thank all of you for joining us today, and we’re trying to see about some other transportation arrangements, so I’ll try to be with you as long as I can. First, I’m very honored to have had the chance to talk with the President, and so many members of the Cabinet. Also a chance to meet today with members of the Legislature, and a chance to visit some of the businesses that have operated in Costa Rica with US investment to create additional job opportunities, because one of the messages that I’ve been seeking to convey is that for me this is a special opportunity with Central America.

When I worked as Undersecretary of State from 1989-1992, I worked with my Costa Rican colleagues on the peace processes of this region, in Nicaragua and in El Salvador. And so we know how important the accomplishment of democracy is in Central America.

And from the point of view of President Bush, the future of this Hemisphere rests on the strength of the commitment to democracy, to security, and to free markets. For us, the Central American FTA, or CAFTA, is the foundation of something much more important. It’s the foundation of how trade and economics can contribute to development, to opportunity, and to hope. 

Now, we’ve been making good progress this year on the Central American Free Trade Agreement. And we hope to complete that agreement by the end of this year. We have two more formal negotiating sessions. This is a good time for me to come down to the region, to visit Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua, and tomorrow, if I catch the plane, with five Ministers from the region to talk about the specifics. And tomorrow perhaps at a press conference we can speak a little bit more about that.

But let me just emphasize the four reasons that I think are most important for this agreement. First, the US already has about $23 billion worth of trade with the Central American countries. And much of this trade comes from the Caribbean Basin Initiative, where we offer trade preferences to the region. But we need to update those preferences, to make it more two-way and to lock it in. Because there are changes coming. 

For example, in textiles and apparel--where the quotas that have existed for 40 or 50 years--these will end and we want to try to put in this trade agreement terms that will help Central America and the US to have combined competitive operations. But we also want to look beyond textiles and apparel. So I was at the Procter and Gamble business center today, where there are some 1,000 Costa Ricans that have jobs just over the past few years by providing business services to P&G employees all over the world. There’s an Intel plant that has invested some $500 million in Costa Rica, making Costa Rica one of the leading-edge countries in technology development. 

And indeed now, the $1.3 billion of technology exports from Costa Rica are 4 times your exports of bananas, which used to be a major export crop, and 8 times your exports of coffee. So we see this agreement as trying to help Costa Rica and its four Central American neighbors integrate but also be part of a global economy through a special relationship with the US.

And that’s the second benefit. This agreement is about more than economic efficiency. It about addressing poverty, it’s about development, and it’s about democracy. It’s about the rule of law, provisions for transparency that help counter corruption. Tomorrow in El Salvador, I’m going to see a very small business that works with Mayan employees to develop formulas to meet the interests of some in the Humane Society in the United States for special products.

Third, we’re trying to combine trade and aid in innovative ways. So today I announced a $6.7 million grant that comes from our Department of Labor to help work with a foundation in Central America to make sure that workers know about their rights, to make sure that there’s enforceability, and to make sure that there are new ways to resolve disputes.

And finally, what we achieve here can be a model for other developing countries, but also for the Hemisphere as a whole. So we see this agreement as something that we together with our five Central American partners want to be particularly proud of. Now, there’s serious work ahead. One of the reasons I’m down here is to identify some of those issues. Many of you are aware of them: the agriculture issues, some of the services issues, the intellectual property issues. But part of my visit is not just to discuss those with Ministers, but also to discuss those with businesspeople. 

On my final stop I’ll discuss this with some business school students, because they are the ones who in the final analysis will make them into a reality for people. But also with legislators, workers, NGOs, and others. Because if we’re going to make this work we have to have the civil societies of all our countries understand what we’re doing. So, it’s going to be a busy three or so days, but I was delighted to start this trip in Costa Rica with my good friend Minister Trejos, and I was honored to have the chance to talk about some of these issues with the President.

Question: Did you come here on a mission to twist the arm of the government of Costa Rica, especially on the issue of telecommunications, and to guarantee the rights of the US pharmaceutical companies?

Zoellick: Well, the last thing I would call it is arm-twisting. Because these are decisions that must be made by sovereign governments. It’s my view that we can have a win-win proposition. I met with workers at a plant today that’s owned by a U.S. firm that have some 900 jobs in Costa Rica. I went to the Procter and Gamble plant that has some 1,000 jobs.

We understand that ICE is an institution that has a particular place in Costa Rican society. We understand how, in the minds of many, it’s associated with the social policies of the country. And as I’ve said to Minister Trejos and his colleagues, and to the President, we’re not seeking the privatization of ICE. We did in our Singapore agreement, where Singapore promised to privatize Singapore Telecom. We’re not doing that here. We’re not questioning Costa Rica’s decision to try to have a universal service requirement that would apply to any service provider. It’s Costa Rica’s choice.

But what we are saying, and I’ve made this point to people in the Legislature, is that for Costa Rica to compete successfully in the world, it’s going to need a more efficient telecommunications system. 

In your own newspapers this morning, I saw a report that ICE has a goal of 65 percent of mobile phone calls go through, and it’s not reaching its goal. If Costa Rican mobile phones can’t do better, then Costa Rica is going to have a hard time drawing the businesses of the future. 

Indeed, this Procter and Gamble facility is an excellent example. They’re not just doing work for Costa Rica, they’re doing work for employees of P&G all over the world. [This work] needs to come in on telecommunications lines… I watched how the communications come in. And one of their challenges is that their telecom costs are higher than some of their competing operations. So what I’ve said to the Minister is that the other four Central American countries agree on opening up telecommunications systems. We know it’s a sensitive issue, but we’re going to have to figure out a way to deal with this issue in some fashion.

And obviously Costa Rica retains its right to decide what it wants, but we need this as part of the agreement if the agreement is going to go forward. In some fashion. And that’s what we need to discuss together. As I said, we think — and particularly for those of you of the younger generation — you’re going to need a better telecommunications system than your parents had.

Now, on pharmaceuticals and intellectual property rights. Again, it’s a similar issue. And let me best say this with an example. We have an FTA with Jordan. I visited Jordan in June. I was there as part of a World Economic Forum meeting with King Abdullah. They put in better intellectual property rights, including in pharmaceuticals, and they’re drawing investment. They’re creating jobs. It’s a growing sector. Their software sector is growing, they’re getting investments from Microsoft. 

Let me just give you an example of what it means in real life. Some people have said to me today, "why don’t we stay with the World Trade Organization rules for IPR?" Those rules were developed in the course of the late eighties and early nineties. Just looking at most of you, just think about what’s happened in the world of digital technology since the early nineties. There aren’t rules to protect against people downloading software or videos or other digital media to your computer, to your hard drive. So with Chile and Singapore and other agreements we have those provisions. So, this is obviously for all the countries of Central America to decide, but we believe these will help you have a stronger knowledge economy and have better jobs for your people.

Question: Costa Rica does not want to talk about at all about the subject of telecom. Are you disappointed? And what conditions does the US put on the subject of sensitive agricultural products?

Zoellick: Oh, I’m far from disappointed. Because the point of this visit is to have a dialogue, not only with government officials but also with others, and to explain what we think is important, and to listen to what others think is important. But I’ve been very clear: we need to open up the services market. That is necessary for me to bring back an agreement. The Central American neighbors are all willing to do that, but we need some more movement from Costa Rica. And we’ll work with you in a problem-solving way.

Many people see trade negotiations as win-lose. They’re not. Everyone has to figure out how to solve problems together to win, and that’s what the discussions today I think help explain my perspective, and I hope I’ve learned from people in Costa Rica. Business as well as those on political side.

Agriculture is another good example. We have sensitive sectors together. We agree that these need to be liberalized in a very careful fashion. We agreed in the last negotiating round to, if necessary, take 15 years to liberalize. We agreed to a special safeguard for sensitive products. We need to get at some of the sensitive products in this region, as well as some of the sensitive products in the US, to discuss how to start to open them up. We can use things like tariff rate quotas and other things that trade people talk about.

So your questions together really are very helpful, because what you’re identifying is what I’m trying to identify on the visit. We’re now at the stage in the negotiations where there’s been good work done, but we’ve identified some difficult issues. We’re going to need top-level political and senior guidance to try to solve these problems together. 

And I’m looking forward to working with Minister Trejos, for whom I have the highest respect, and his colleagues tomorrow to have a fuller discussion about all these topics.

Thank you.

Malaria kills millions each year and sickens millions more. But progress is being made in the fight against one of mankind's oldest and deadliest enemies. New anti-malarial drugs and vaccines are being developed, and there's a decidedly low-tech approach to malaria prevention that's providing immediate relief.

Imagine living in a place where you dread to see the sun go down, where you dread hearing the buzzing sound of mosquitoes.

"They're waiting for the mosquitoes to descend upon them, and, you know, they see it as coming under attack," said David McGuire, the director of an anti-malarial program called Netmark. "People, particularly in rural areas, are desperate for some help here and telling us that they dread nightfall."

The mosquitoes that transmit malaria to humans are most active after dark. An unprotected person may get dozens of bites each night. Children under 5 and expectant mothers are especially vulnerable. Mothers because their resistance is down, children because they haven't yet developed resistance. But McGuire says there is an inexpensive, low-tech defense against these nightly attacks: insecticide treated bed netting.

"There have been a number of studies and they have demonstrated that insecticide treated nets are the best way to prevent malaria and decrease mortality rates, particularly in children under 5," he explained. "The mortality for children sleeping under treated nets can drop, on average, roughly 20 percent. It can reduce the rates of severe malaria by over 40 percent. It can also decrease the number of premature births among pregnant women sleeping under nets by 40 percent. So it is a very simple yet effective technology."

But even so basic a technology is often beyond the reach of the poor, especially those living in developing nations. That's where The Netmark Program comes in. Director McGuire says his organization financed in part by the U.S. Agency for International Development walks a thin line between aid and enterprise.

"What we're trying to do is strike the balance between a long-term sustainable activity that will not require donor funds that we'll set up a system 

Netmark has taken a three-fold approach to this developmental high-wire act. First, the group's local representatives provide startup funding for new bed net manufacturing and marketing enterprises in Africa. Second, they help existing bed net providers expand into as yet untapped markets. Finally, they provide free or heavily subsidized netting to the poorest of the poor, often through local neonatal health clinics.

"We have a number of clinics in Zambia and Senegal that we're doing this through," pointed out Mr. McGuire. "They will get their counseling and will be told that they need to be sleeping under an insecticide treated net. The health worker will then give them a coupon, which they can redeem, in a shop that is very close to that clinic. And they can pick the net of their choice and get a significant discount on the net."

Government agencies and private charities have donated quite large sums to the war on malaria in recent years. The United States recently announced a $15 billion commitment to battle malaria and the other two most deadly epidemics: HIV-AIDS, and tuberculosis. 

McGuire says that public pressure will encourage governments to continue the fight. For those interested in getting even more directly involved, he suggests contributions to any one of several agencies at work in malaria prevention in general, and bed net distribution in particular.

"UNICEF, Red Cross, World Vision are organizations that are supporting malaria prevention in Africa," added McGuire. "Save the Children, Plan International, all these organizations work at the community level and are focused on preventing malaria and making sure that those who get infected with malaria get treated. So donations to those organizations can be very helpful."

The Netmark Program will continue to help those suffering from malaria through at least 2007.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. State Department are expected to participate in an Oct. 27 and 28 meeting of the Consultative Group for Nicaragua, which supports the Central American nation's efforts to strengthen its democracy, improve its economy, and raise living standards for the poor.

A State Department official said the United States is a member of the Consultative Group, an international initiative which was formed in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America in October of that year.

The two-day event, chaired by the Inter-American Development Bank, will be held in Nicaragua's capital city of Managua. The meeting will bring together delegates from donor countries and multilateral organizations and leaders from Nicaragua's government and civil society, who will examine, among other issues, the country's progress in fighting poverty.

Among the speakers at the event will be Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolanos and Miguel Martinez, the development bank’s manager for the Central American region and the Dominican Republic.

At the meeting, Nicaraguan officials will discuss their country's progress in meeting the goals of the "Enhanced Strategy for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction" in Nicaragua. The officials will also outline a proposed national development plan and the financing that would be required to put the plan in motion.

Following Hurricane Mitch, the Agency for International Development responded with $20 million in emergency disaster assistance to Nicaragua. Among its activities in that country, the agency is helping to rebuild water and sanitation systems for communities in areas affected by the hurricane, and helping in such projects as rebuilding roads, protecting watersheds, and reclaiming cropland damaged by floods.

The agency said its aid to Nicaragua enables that country to fully integrate in regional and global markets, consolidates democracy, and promotes economic growth and reconstruction. In addition, the agency said the assistance strengthens Nicaragua as a partner in the fight against the illicit drug trade and international crime, curbs opportunities for corruption in government, and reduces environmental degradation in order to protect hemispheric biodiversity and prevent natural disasters in the future while assuring sustainable development.

At the last meeting of the Consultative Group for Nicaragua in May 2000, the consensus was that poverty reduction was that country's most pressing and important development goal. Another important issue was transparency, with participants at the meeting citing the Nicaraguan government's statement that fighting corruption and fostering transparency "is everybody's responsibility . . . we will not be able to win the war against poverty if we lose the battle against corruption."