Well-known anthropologist and archaeologist Francisco Corrales is the new director of the Museo Nacional. That was announced Monday by Guido Sáenz, minister of Cultura, Juventud y Deportes.

Corrales fills a post that was vacated when Eduardo Faith resigned. Corrales has nearly 20 years working with the museum and is an expert in Pre-Columbian cultures.

Corrales fills the post on a temporary basis. Sáenz said the archaeologist was concerned that he did not have the administrative background to handle the job, but the minister called this excessive humility and said he hoped that Corrales would accept the job as a permanent post.

Corrales received his doctorate in anthropology from the University of Kansas in 2000. He completed his earlier degrees at the University of Costa Rica.

Corrales said he dismisses the use of the word "prehistory" in the discussion of early inhabitants. He said that term is pejorative, Eurocentric and dismissive of the many sources, including oral history, that are available to investigators. He said he prefers the term "ancient history" or "pre-Columbian." 

Corrales, in accepting the position, said that the Museo Nacional ought to have an important role in creating a Costa Rica that is multicultural and multiethnic., He also said he considered his selection a vote of confidence in museum staff.

At present, said Corrales, the staff of the museum is involved in introspective studies so that the museum will be capable of meeting modern challenges.

NEW YORK CITY — The U.N.'s drug and crime office says cultivation of coca dropped in the Andean region for the first time in more than a decade.

The agency's executive director, Antonio Maria Costa, described the decrease Monday as a "major achievement" in the fight against drug trafficking and related crime.

He said cultivation in the Andean region fell to 173,000 hectares, and predicted the drop will take more than 100 tons of cocaine from the world's drug market. Costa said the world's production of coca has "persistently" been about 200,000 hectares.

In a report released Monday, the agency says coca cultivation in Colombia dropped 30 percent last year to 102,000 hectares compared with almost 145,000 hectares in 2001. 
 

Mexico grabs local and 
U.S. drug target

MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Authorities have captured reputed drug lord Osiel Cardenas, one of the most wanted fugitives in the United States and Mexico. 

Cardenas was taken into custody Friday after a shootout with Mexican army troops near the U.S. border in the northern city of Matamoras. At least three soldiers were among several people wounded. 

The notorious Gulf Cartel leader was later flown to an undisclosed location to await arraignment. 

The Gulf cartel, named for the Gulf of Mexico, has long been considered the main vehicle for trafficking illegal drugs, such as cocaine from South America and marijuana from here to U.S. cities to the north. 

The United States is seeking Cardenas' extradition on charges of organized crime, drug smuggling, money laundering and assaulting federal agents. In December 2000,the Federal Bureau of Investigation offered a $2 million reward for information leading to his capture. 

Reports also say the alleged drug lord faces charges here for crimes against public health, organized crime and homicide. 

The Gulf cartel was the strongest of the Mexican organized-crime gangs operating along the southern U.S. border until 1996, when a Texas court handed then-leader, Juan Garcia Abrego, 11 life sentences for drug smuggling.
 

Tovar asks Venezuela
for refugee's safety

Costa Rica has given a Venezuela political leader asylum and has asked Venezuela to guarantee his safe conduct out of the country.

Carlos Alfonso Ortega Carvajal, president of the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers, said he believed his life was in danger and sought refuge in the Costa Rican Embassy in Caracas.

Roberto Tovar, Costa Rican foreign minister, announced Monday that asylum had been granted. He said he asked Ricardo Lizano, the Costa Rican ambassador in Caracas, to communicate to the highest Venezuelan authorities the decision and seek safe conduct for getting Ortega out of Caracas to Costa Rica.

Ortega sought asylum at the embassy last Thursday. 

A warrant was issued for Ortega’s arrest in February and he has been in hiding since. The warrant was issued for his suspected involvement in organizing the almost two month long workers strike in Venezuela, which brought the country to a virtual standstill.
 

U.S. physicians help
in the Talamanca

Eight physicians and two technicians from the U.S. Department of Defense are in Sepeque and Shiroles in the Talamanca helping residents there.

They are working for two weeks along with counterparts from the Ministerio de Salud Pública. The physicians expect to handle up to 500 patients each day. The area in southeastern Costa Rica is one on low incomes among a primarily Indian population.
 

Hot time on Avenida 10

An evening fire heavily damaged a block of stores on the south side of Avenida 10 Monday night about 9 p.m.

Among the businesses damages was The Eagle’s Nest bar, which is in a sprawling corner location. A hair salon and a car wash also suffered heavy damage from the flames.
 

Nightclub fight kills one in Jacó

A Costa Rican man was killed over the weekend in a fight at a nightclub in Jacó, said the Judicial Investigating Organization.

The organization said Alexander Solano Delgado, 25, was the victim of the fight. An organization official said three Colombians have been arrested as part of an investigation into the man’s death.

If you can avoid Paso Colón this morning, you ought to do so. A large contingent of taxis will be parading from la Sabana up the street, then to Avenida 2 and all the way to Zapote and Casa Presidencial.

The taxi drivers are protesting the proliferation of unlicensed taxis and the high cost of fuel. this means few taxis will be working in the morning, and some drivers are referring to the action as a strike.

Representatives of the taxi drivers discussed their complaints at Casa Presidencial Monday, but the concessions granted were no enough to stem the demonstration today.

Officials agreed to speed up the issuance of taxi permits and addressed other technical grievances.
 

Professional Directory A.M. Costa Rica's professional directory is where business people who wish to reach the English-speaking community may invite responses. If you are interested in being represented here, please contact the editor. Psychiatrists Dr. Luis Carlos Sancho Torres   bilingual psychiatrist (UCR) • consulting • depression • schizophrenia  • psychiatric disability VA Affairs • evaluations for gun permits   • bipolar disorders • addictions  • methadone Available 24-hour a day children and adults office: 233-7782 beeper: 233-3333 lucasancho@yahoo.com Lawyers INVESTMENT RECOVERY CENTER Learn how to best protect your interests in the Villalobos case. Explore your options at http://www.irccr.net Also, we invite you to join one of the most active discussion groups on the case.  Find out what people who care are saying. Join at irccr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 232-8/16/03 Lic. Arcelio Alberto Hernández Mussio Attorney at Law, Notary Public Official Translator Corporate, Criminal, Constitutional, Family Practice. Property title searches and transfers. Official English/Spanish translation & interpretation We also offer the following services in association with Morning Star Investments CRI, S.A.: *Real Estate Investment opportunities *Money Management *Accounting Services e-mail: legalxpt@racsa.co.cr           Web: www.forovial.com Cell: 365-3088  132-5/29/ KEARNEY-LAWSON & Asoc.       Lic. Gregory Kearney Lawson, attorney at law Villalobos and Savings Unlimited Collections *Investments  *Corporations  *Real Estate Sales in Costa Rica *Tax Shelters  *Immigration *Intellectual Property     *Business procedures *Family and Labor Law     *Locate People *Private Investigations        Ph/Fax: 221-9462, 394-7007 gkearney_lawson@hotmail.com attorneykearney@yahoo.com Real estate agents MARGARET SOHN  of Carico 15 years Costa Rican real estate experience Member of the Costa Rican Real Estate Association, Lic. #1000  Member, Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce margaret@caricohenderson.com www.realtorcostarica.com (506) 232-5016 home   (506) 233-8057 office  (506) 382-7399 cell  229-8/9/03 Investments Investigators Empresa de Investigadores Internacionales S.A. Telephone (506) 280-5217  FAX (506) 280-5120 P.O. Box 297-2100 Costa Rica Cédula Juridica #3-101-097681-32 investigators@prodigy.net johnniechaverri@policeone.com 112-5/18/03 Web Design Personalized Web Design •Hosting •Promotion •Logo Design Prices so reasonable they will astound you Call for a quote:  220-4602 www.alegria-webdesign.com We have over 12 years international experience 214-7/14/03

My fellow citizens, events in Iraq have now reached the final days of decision. For more than a decade, the United States and other nations have pursued patient and honorable efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime without war. That regime pledged to reveal and destroy all its weapons of mass destruction as a condition for ending the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

Since then, the world has engaged in 12 years of diplomacy. We have passed more than a dozen resolutions in the United Nations Security Council. We have sent hundreds of weapons inspectors to oversee the disarmament of Iraq. Our good faith has not been returned.

The Iraqi regime has used diplomacy as a ploy to gain time and advantage. It has uniformly defied Security Council resolutions demanding full disarmament. Over the years, U.N. weapon inspectors have been threatened by Iraqi officials, electronically bugged, and systematically deceived. Peaceful efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime have failed again and again -- because we are not dealing with peaceful men.

Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. This regime has already used weapons of mass destruction against Iraq's neighbors and against Iraq's people.

The regime has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East. It has a deep hatred of America and our friends. And it has aided, trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda.

The danger is clear: using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear weapons, obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country, or any other.

The United States and other nations did nothing to deserve or invite this threat. But we will do everything to defeat it. Instead of drifting along toward tragedy, we will set a course toward safety. Before the day of horror can come, before it is too late to act, this danger will be removed.

The United States of America has the sovereign authority to use force in assuring its own national security. That duty falls to me, as Commander-in-Chief, by the oath I have sworn, by the oath I will keep.

Recognizing the threat to our country, the United States Congress voted overwhelmingly last year to support the use of force against Iraq. America tried to work with the United Nations to address this threat because we wanted to resolve the issue peacefully. We believe in the mission of the United Nations. One reason the U.N. was founded after the Second World War was to confront aggressive dictators, actively and early, before they can attack the innocent and destroy the peace.

In the case of Iraq, the Security Council did act, in the early 1990s. Under Resolutions 678 and 687 — both still in effect — the United States and our allies are authorized to use force in ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction. This is not a question of authority, it is a question of will.

Last September, I went to the U.N. General Assembly and urged the nations of the world to unite and bring an end to this danger. On November 8th, the Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1441, finding Iraq in material breach of its obligations, and vowing serious consequences if Iraq did not fully and immediately disarm.

Today, no nation can possibly claim that Iraq has disarmed. And it will not disarm so long as Saddam Hussein holds power. For the last four-and-a-half months, the United States and our allies have worked within the Security Council to enforce that Council's long-standing demands. Yet, some permanent members of the Security Council have publicly announced they will veto any resolution that compels the disarmament of Iraq. These governments share our assessment of the danger, but not our resolve to meet it. Many nations, however, do have the resolve and fortitude to act against this threat to peace, and a broad coalition is now gathering to enforce the just demands of the world. The United Nations Security Council has not lived up to its responsibilities, so we will rise to ours.

In recent days, some governments in the Middle East have been doing their part. They have delivered public and private messages urging the dictator to leave Iraq, so that disarmament can proceed peacefully. He has thus far refused. All the decades of deceit and cruelty have now reached an end. Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours. Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict, commenced at a time of our choosing. For their own safety, all foreign nationals — including journalists and inspectors — should leave Iraq immediately.

Many Iraqis can hear me tonight in a translated radio broadcast, and I have a message for them. If we must begin a military campaign, it will be directed against the lawless men who rule your country and not against you. As our coalition takes away their power, we will deliver the food and 

It is too late for Saddam Hussein to remain in power. It is not too late for the Iraqi military to act with honor and protect your country by permitting the peaceful entry of coalition forces to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Our forces will give Iraqi military units clear instructions on actions they can take to avoid being attacked and destroyed. I urge every member of the Iraqi military and intelligence services, if war comes, do not fight for a dying regime that is not worth your own life.

And all Iraqi military and civilian personnel should listen carefully to this warning. In any conflict, your fate will depend on your action. Do not destroy oil wells, a source of wealth that belongs to the Iraqi people. Do not obey any command to use weapons of mass destruction against anyone, including the Iraqi people. War crimes will be prosecuted. War criminals will be punished. And it will be no defense to say, "I was just following orders."

Should Saddam Hussein choose confrontation, the American people can know that every measure has been taken to avoid war, and every measure will be taken to win it. Americans understand the costs of conflict because we have paid them in the past. War has no certainty, except the certainty of sacrifice.

Yet, the only way to reduce the harm and duration of war is to apply the full force and might of our military, and we are prepared to do so. If Saddam Hussein attempts to cling to power, he will remain a deadly foe until the end. In desperation, he and terrorists groups might try to conduct terrorist operations against the American people and our friends. These attacks are not inevitable. They are, however, possible. And this very fact underscores the reason we cannot live under the threat of blackmail. The terrorist threat to America and the world will be diminished the moment that Saddam Hussein is disarmed.

Our government is on heightened watch against these dangers. Just as we are preparing to ensure victory in Iraq, we are taking further actions to protect our homeland. In recent days, American authorities have expelled from the country certain individuals with ties to Iraqi intelligence services. Among other measures, I have directed additional security of our airports, and increased Coast Guard patrols of major seaports. The Department of Homeland Security is working closely with the nation's governors to increase armed security at critical facilities across America.

Should enemies strike our country, they would be attempting to shift our attention with panic and weaken our morale with fear. In this, they would fail. No act of theirs can alter the course or shake the resolve of this country. We are a peaceful people — yet we're not a fragile people, and we will not be intimidated by thugs and killers. If our enemies dare to strike us, they and all who have aided them, will face fearful consequences.

We are now acting because the risks of inaction would be far greater. In one year, or five years, the power of Iraq to inflict harm on all free nations would be multiplied many times over. With these capabilities, Saddam Hussein and his terrorist allies could choose the moment of deadly conflict when they are strongest. We choose to meet that threat now, where it arises, before it can appear suddenly in our skies and cities.

The cause of peace requires all free nations to recognize new and undeniable realities. In the 20th century, some chose to appease murderous dictators, whose threats were allowed to grow into genocide and global war. In this century, when evil men plot chemical, biological and nuclear terror, a policy of appeasement could bring destruction of a kind never before seen on this earth.

Terrorists and terror states do not reveal these threats with fair notice, in formal declarations — and responding to such enemies only after they have struck first is not self-defense, it is suicide. The security of the world requires disarming Saddam Hussein now.

As we enforce the just demands of the world, we will also honor the deepest commitments of our country. Unlike Saddam Hussein, we believe the Iraqi people are deserving and capable of human liberty. And when the dictator has departed, they can set an example to all the Middle East of a vital and peaceful and self-governing nation.

The United States, with other countries, will work to advance liberty and peace in that region. Our goal will not be achieved overnight, but it can come over time. The power and appeal of human liberty is felt in every life and every land. And the greatest power of freedom is to overcome hatred and violence, and turn the creative gifts of men and women to the pursuits of peace.

That is the future we choose. Free nations have a duty to defend our people by uniting against the violent. And tonight, as we have done before, America and our allies accept that responsibility.

Good night, and may God continue to bless America.

This newspaper seeks the prompt return of two men who ran high-interest investment operations that have gone out of business.

Luis Enrique Villalobos Camacho, 62, was associated with Ofinter S.A., a money exchange house, and with his own private investment business that had about $1 billion in other people’s money on the books.

Villalobos closed his business Oct. 14 and vanished.

Louis Milanes operated Savings Unlimited and several casinos in San José. He left the country with other members of his firm the weekend of Nov. 23. He may have as much as $260 million in his possession. Both operations catered to North Americans.

Villalobos and Milanes are the subjects of international arrest warrants.  Associates of both men have been jailed.

A.M. Costa Rica has posted a $500 reward for information leading to the detention of either man with the hopes that others will make similar pledges. The newspaper believes that investors only will see some of their money when the two men are in custody.

Milanes has few supporters in San José. On the other hand, as the letters frequently on this page show, Villalobos still has supporters who believe that he will reappear and settle his debts. They believe he is in hiding because of a predatory Costa Rican government.