NotiCen: Central American & Caribbean Affairs articles from January 2001

NotiCen: Central American & Caribbean Affairs archives from January 2001

CUBA: SELF-CONFESSED SPY DEPORTED FROM MEXICO IS SENTENCED IN CUBA TO SIX YEARS IN PRISON.
January 7, 2001... A former Cuban intelligence officer who claimed to have spied for Cuba on Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations in Mexico has been tried and sentenced in a Cuban military court. The case has raised questions about the US response to his...

PANAMA: GOVERNMENT SUSPENDS BUS-FARE INCREASE AFTER RIOT.
January 7, 2001... A government-approved increase in bus fares, coming on the heels of other rate hikes, touched off a massive protest the ended in a violent confrontation with police. In the aftermath, the government suspended the increase but only postponed a...

REGION: SLUMP IN COFFEE PRICES THREATENS REGIONAL INDUSTRY.
January 7, 2001... Central American coffee producers are facing world market prices so severely depressed that some experts are predicting the crop could disappear in some countries as an export commodity. A Salvadoran broker said, "The price producers...

REGION: TREND TOWARD THE DOLLAR CONTINUES WITH NEW LAW IN GUATEMALA PERMITTING USE OF FOREIGN CURRENCIES.
January 11, 2001... The movement toward dollarization and a possible monetary union has gathered strength in Central America with passage of legislation in Guatemala permitting free circulation of the dollar and other hard currencies. Meanwhile, confusion reigned...

REGION: NICARAGUA, HONDURAS CLOSER TO FINAL STAGES OF WORLD BANK DEBT-RELIEF PROGRAM.
January 11, 2001... In a press release Dec. 22, the World Bank announced a US$34 billion debt-relief package under its Initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). The program will benefit 22 countries, including Honduras and Nicaragua. The bank...

GUATEMALA IS BEHIND SCHEDULE IN FULFILLING TERMS OF 1996 PEACE ACCORDS, SETS NEW TIMETABLE.
January 18, 2001... Four years after the signing of the peace accords ending the civil war in Guatemala, only modest progress has been made on the social, economic, and military reforms that were the core of the agreements. In a deal with the former guerrilla...

PANAMA: PRESIDENT MIREYA MOSCOSO CALLS FOR TRUTH COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE CLANDESTINE GRAVES FOUND ON MILITARY BASE.
January 18, 2001... In December, President Mireya Moscoso announced the creation of a truth commission to clarify some 150 assassination and disappearance cases going back to the 1968- 1989 military dictatorship. The step was prompted by new discoveries of...

NICARAGUA: GOVERNING PARTY & SANDINISTAS NOMINATE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES.
January 25, 2001... The governing Partido Liberal Constitucionalista (PLC) has nominated Enrique Bolanos, who recently resigned as vice president, as its candidate in the November 2001 presidential election. The Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional (FSLN)...

HAITI: PRESIDENT-ELECT JEAN-BERTRAND ARISTIDE MOVES TO PLACATE THE OPPOSITION & INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
January 25, 2001... Newly elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has made a series of concessions to the US and the international community aimed at repairing his image, blemished by irregularities in two recent elections (see NotiCen, 2000-12- 07). Aristide...

EL SALVADOR: GOVERNMENT COMES UNDER FIRE FOR CONDITIONS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO DEVASTATION IN JANUARY EARTHQUAKE.
January 25, 2001... The administration of President Francisco Flores is facing harsh criticism and the threat of lawsuits in the wake of the Jan. 13 tremor that caused extensive damage in the central and western portions of the country. The latest estimate by...