The local council wanted the company to pay for damages it allegedly caused
by the El Reportero’s wire services
A Coca-Cola bottler and distributor has pulled out of some communities due to high levels of violence, but it’s no longer doing business in Acatlán, Guerrero, because the town gave it the boot.
The town in Chilapa de Álvarez has banned Coca-Cola products after the company refused to repair damage allegedly caused by its trucks and support development initiatives.
Coca-Cola bottler FEMSA met with local authorities in Acatlán earlier this month to hear a request that it repair damage caused by its delivery trucks to several buildings and roads and to contribute to the town’s development.
According to a statement released yesterday and signed by communal council members, the Coca-Cola FEMSA representative refused the petition. In response, communal authorities ordered the suspension of sales of Coca-Cola products “for an indefinite period of time.”
The FEMSA representative had agreed to stop taking orders from Acatlán establishments and to suspend distribution, the statement said.
Coca-Cola FEMSA was also given eight days to remove all of its refrigerators and promotional material from the town. Since Sept. 11, Acatlán has been Coke-free.
“The company Coca-Cola FEMSA will no longer be able to enter our community, except through the authorization of communal authorities,” the council said.
On September 13, a community assembly ratified the decision taken by the town’s leaders, asserting that Coca-Cola was no longer welcome.
Evo Morales repeats resolution to settle maritime lawsuit with Chile
President Evo Morales repeated that Bolivia has the best resolution to reach a sustainable and satisfactory settlement with Chile about the centenary maritime lawsuit, on which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will rule on Oct. 1.
When speaking at the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Morales noted that the conflict has put two neighboring countries against each other and has deprived the Bolivian people of access to the sea and its benefits.
We expect that the lawsuit filed before the International Court of Justice will contribute to bringing the two parties closer to start fruitful negotiations, he noted.
The president added that he also expected that the ruling would contribute to reaching a true agreement together to solve the problem that has turned Bolivia into a landlocked State.
Morales pointed out that the differences with Chile cannot be attributed to a circumstantial purpose of a political and electoral nature, but it goes back to the origin of that territorial dispute.
Morales repeated his certainty that the decision by the top UN court will mark a new era in relations with Chile.
In that regard, he called to use the foundational spirit of the United Nations to solve disputes peacefully and boost relations of friendship among nations on the basis of respect to equality and free determination of the peoples.
Two-weeks strike in Costa Rica without a solution in view
The indefinite general strike in Costa Rica against the fiscal plan is two-weeks old today, without a foreseeable solution, despite four days of preliminary meeting without conditions between trade unions and the government.
This Sunday morning concluded the fourth day of that exploratory meeting between trade unionists and representatives of the government. Both parts advanced, separately, they would rest today and resume conversations on Monday at the Archbishopric of San Jose.
In the name of the Syndicate and Social Union (USSN) -coalition of workers and wwill consult the grassroot members on what has been discussed until now.
However, the USSN said it will maintain the general strike next week with protests and demonstrations of regional nature on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while on Wednesday they will make a big march in this capital, where they expect to gather 500 thousand participants in a trip similar to that of Sept. 12.
