NotiCen: Central American & Caribbean Affairs articles from May 2005

NotiCen: Central American & Caribbean Affairs archives from May 2005

CUBANS TO GET MORE MONEY AND MORE GOODS TO SPEND IT ON.
May 5, 2005... Cuba has revalued its currencies against the US dollar in a move the government promises will be accompanied by a greater availability of goods and the eventual revocation of the rationing system. The revaluation affects the common peso, the...

GLOBALIZATION AND STERILIZATION OF NICARAGUAN AGRICULTURE.
May 5, 2005... The first Foro Nacional Campesina sobre Globalizacion opened in Esteli with a resounding negative critique of the effects of globalization at the local level in Nicaragua. The real-life experience of campesinas is, said Consuelo Alforo, a...

GUATEMALA: INDIGENOUS DOUBT WORLD BANK PROGRAM TO RELIEVE POVERTY.
May 12, 2005... On May 10, the World Bank announced it would provide US$780 million to promote growth and reduce poverty in Guatemala. The money is to be disbursed over a period from 2005 to 2008. Jane Armitage, World Bank Central America country director,...

MEXICO, EUROPEAN UNION JOIN U.S. IN HUMAN RIGHTS VOTE AGAINST CUBA AS DISSATISFACTION WITH PROCESS GROWS.
May 12, 2005... Just when its relations with Cuba were on the mend, the European Union (EU) voted for an unfriendly resolution against Cuba at the 61st meeting in Geneva of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). There is some speculation that the yearly...

PRESIDENT PACHECO DOUBTFUL ON CAFTA.
May 12, 2005... A reluctant President Abel Pacheco rode along with other Central American presidents to the US to lobby for the passage of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). He makes the trip with the memory of a May 1 celebration of...

GUATEMALAN ARMY SET TO REGRESS TO DARKER TIMES.
May 26, 2005... The Guatemalan Army's modernizing program is being hijacked by US interests, according to recent reports. The US wants the Army to focus on internal security, as it did during the 36-year civil war. The specter of such a policy reversal has...

PANAMA'S SOCIAL SECURITY COLLAPSING, BUT POPULATION REJECTS REFORMS.
May 26, 2005... Panama's President Martin Torrijos told his country in May that the Caja de Seguro Social (CSS) is in deep deficit and will collapse by the year 2012 unless strong measures are taken. Speaking to a crowd in Darien, he gave assurances that the...