The USS Iwo Jima warship was in Costa Rica for 10 days in late August and early September.
Twenty people protesting the arrival of a warship in armyless Costa Rica made it clear that not everyone was cheering the US warship’s arrival in Limón. … Since then, peace activists and left-wing organizations have been vocal about the presence of the U.S. military in Costa Rican waters, hoping to make it clear that the U.S. Marines and Navy aren’t wanted here.
The legitimacy of Costa Rica’s 10-year joint maritime agreement with the United States to fight drug trafficking is also under question, as the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court has been asked to review the legality of the agreement. A decision is expect in the coming weeks.
In the sweaty customs house of the Limón port on Saturday, Costa Rica’s Vice Minister of Security Mauricio Boraschi emphasized that the visit of the USS Iwo Jima was unrelated to the agreement.
“This visit is unrelated to the joint maritime agreement,” he said. “This is a very different mission. It is a humanitarian mission.”
The visit was requested by former President Oscar Arias in 2008 in order to give residents of Costa Rica’s impoverished Caribbean region a boost of aid and medical services. It received special permission to dock from the Legislative Assembly while the existing maritime agreement is being reviewed by judges.