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Costa Rica to File International Complaint Against Nicaragua


Costa Rica says it will take Nicaragua to the International Court of Justice in The Hague to resolve a dispute over policing rights on a river separating the two countries.

Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco announced the move Wednesday, which prompted Nicaragua to order troops to increase patrols along its southern border. Nicaragua's Congress has also threatened to impose a 35 percent tariff on Costa Rican goods and services if Costa Rica goes to the court.

The dispute began in 1998, when then-Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman banned armed Costa Rican police patrol boats from the San Juan River, which belongs to Nicaragua. Tensions subsided in September 2002 when both sides agreed to take no action on the issue for three years.

Nicaragua has said Costa Rican vessels can sail the river only for commercial purposes. Costa Rica says it has the right to navigate along the river.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

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