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Master Watchmakers and Jewellers

Buy your watch at Greis Jewelers where you get quality, selection and
service. We carry a large selection of Piaget watches.

Certified Watchmaker On Premises

32940 Middlebelt Rd. at 14 Mile
In The Broadway Plaza
855 1730
Mon., Wed. & Fri. 10-6
Sat. till 5:30, Thurs. 10-8

Costa Rica: Unique
Ties To Israel, Jews

DAVID HARRIS•

Special to The Jewish News

hen Jews think of
those countries that
occupy a special
place in our hearts, a few
come readily to mind: De-
nmark for its rescue of virtu-
ally the entire Jewish com-
munity from Nazi hands; the
Netherlands for its long-
standing welcome to Jews, its
quiet but effective repre-
sentation of Israel in Moscow
since 1967 and its support for
the Jewish State during the
Yom Kippur War; and, of
course, the United States for
its vital links to Israel and
its location as the home of
the world's largest Jewish
community.
Often overlooked, however,
is Costa Rica, the tiny demo-.
cratic Central American na-
tion roughly the size of Ver-
mont and New Hampshire.
Bordered on the north by
Nicaragua and the south by
Panama, Costa Rica has been
a true friend of Israel and the
Jewish people, compiling a
remarkable record of support
for most of the last four de-
cades.
On May 8, Costa Rica
marked the presidential in-
auguration of Oscar Arias
Sanchez, who replaced the
outgoing Luis Alberto Monge.
The new president, a 44-
year-old economist and
lawyer, and the candidate of
the ruling National Libera-
tion Party (Partido Nacional
de Liberation), defeated
Rafael Angel Calderon Four-
nier of the opposition Unity
Party (Partido Unidad) in
democratic elections held in
February. '
Elections are not new to
Costa Rica. Democracy is a
century-old tradition, a fact
that few take for granted in
turbulent Central America
where dictatorships have
usually outnumbered democ-
racies. But then, Costa Rica
is also unusual in other ways.
In 1949, it enshrined in its
constitution the dissolution of
the army as a permanent in-
stitution. As President Monge
said in a speech in San Jose,
the capital city, in 1983: "We
are the only nation in history
which has disarmed itself
voluntarily and unilaterally."
Security concerns,
heightened in recent years by
growing tension on the
Nicaraguan border, are ad-
dressed by a 9,000-man civil
guard, whose entire ranks
are reconstituted every four
years to avoid the possible
emergence of a professional
military corps.
Further, Costa Rica's com-
mitment to international

-

JEWELERS

INC.

VISA

40

Friday, November 14, 1986 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

David Harris is deputy
director of the American
Jewish Committee's
international relations
department.

human rights, including
Soviet Jewry, is so profound
that the Organization of
American States located the
Interamerican Institute of
Human Rights in San Jose.
Finally, as a nation dedicated
to social justice and social
welfare, it has built up an
impressive network of gov-
ernment agencies to address
the population's needs, and
shares, together with
Panama, the highest literacy
rate in the region.

As President Monge yields
power to his successor, he
leaves a legacy of un-
abashedly pro-Israel policies,
building on the support for
Israel of former President
Jose Figueres, the three-time
leader of this nation of 2.65

Costa Rica is one
of two Latin
American states
with an embassy
in Jerusalem.

million. Costa Rica was one•
of the first nations to recog-
nize Israel. During the Yom
Kippur War, the wife and one
of the sons of President
Figueres volunteered to go to
Israel. Instead, Prime Minis-
ter Golda Meir prevailed on
Mrs. Figueres to devote her
considerable energy to fund-
raising efforts, while the son,
with his parents' approval,
actually became a parat-
rooper in the Israeli reserves.
The press and general public
as well were fully supportive
of Israel during the war.
A decline in bilateral rela-
tions occurred during the
term of President Rodrigo
Carazo Odio, 1978-1982,
when Costa Rica transferred
its embassy from Jerusalem
to Tel Aviv and pursued a
more pro-Arab foreign policy
line, including flirtation with
the PLO. But no sooner did
President Monge succeed
Carazo in May 1982, than
Costa Rica reverted to its
traditional pro-Israel posi-
tion. Two days after assum-
ing office, Monge ordered the
Costa Rican embassy re-
turned to Jerusalem, in de-
fiance of the U.N. Security
Council resolution calling on
member states. to withdraw
their diplomatic representa-
tion from Israel's capital.
(Only El Salvador has
hitherto followed suit.)
Repercussions followed.
Egypt and other Arab coun-
tries severed diplomatic ties
with Costa Rica. In 1984, as
President Monge rose to
speak to the annual confer-
ence of the Geneva-based In-
ternational -Labor Organiza-
tion, the delegations of Arab
and other Moslem nations,
joined by a number of other
Third World representatives,
walked out in a gesture of