Costa Rica attorney general urges court to reject support for Iraq war

[arcos]

Costa Rica attorney general urges court to reject support for Iraq war

A coalition of the unwilling is growing in Costa Rica. Attorney General Farid Beirute has urged the country's top, Constitutional Court to formally reject Costa Rica's membership in the U.S.-proclaimed coalition of support for the war in Iraq.

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Controversy over the issue erupted when local newspapers noted that the U.S. White House had listed Costa Rica as a member of the coalition "that has already begun military operations to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction."

President Abel Pacheco and Foreign Minister Roberto Tovar acknowledged signing a statement of support for the United States on March 19, 2003, but they insisted it was support merely for the fight against terrorism -- not for an invasion of Iraq, as the U.S. statement implied.

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While the attorney general's office is legally in charge of defending the state, it can interpret that duty broadly. The attorney general is chosen by the country's congress rather than by the president.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/08/13/international1316EDT6599.DTL