This week amid much specualtion over the manufacturing of guns in Costa Rica, the current prime minister Oscar Arias announced plans to ban all manufacturing or planned manufactturing in Costa Rica. This statement arised due to news of a major US gun manufactuerer talked about ,moving its production to Costa Rica. However Costa Rica as one of the world's most peaceful countries has no place for gun manufacturing.

Osca Lopez said to the assembley onn Tuesday that he had eveidence that the US gun manufacturer Raytheon had bought a vast amount of land in Costa Rica recently. However it became apparent that a company registered in Costa Rica under Raytheon SA had actually bought the land and not the US company. But Oscar Arias still enforced his position on the subject.

The recent debates over the Free Trade Agreement between Costa Rica and the US appears to have reached a boiling point this week with supporters and opponents exchanging allegations of violence and heavey handidness. It appears that the opponents of the CAFTA agreemnet understand that soon the legislative assembly will have the right number of votes to pass the agreement opening all business borders and public companies to US companies.

Oscar Arias the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winner appears to be relying more on the police to watch over peaceful demonstrations than other Costa Rican Presidents have done. However with the mounting pressure from CAFTA's supporters and opponents Osca Arias does not want any violence on his teriority.