|  The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court in Costa Rica is set to get embroiled in a bitter dispute between two international institutions ostensibly dedicated to peace, human rights and nonviolent conflict resolution. The story would be funny if it were not so sad.
The dispute has caused the temporary closure of international broadcaster Radio For Peace International (RFPI). The station has been evicted from the campus of the United Nations-created University for Peace in Ciudad Colón, 25 km west of the capital San José. RFPI has filed a legal motion requesting the Supreme Court to order the University to repeal the eviction notice. The station finally went off the air last Wednesday when the University cut the power supply to the transmitters. Simmering row
The row between the two organisations has been simmering for over a year, and there is certainly no evidence that the University has employed the tactics it teaches in its conflict resolution | 
| | Tools of the peace trade? An armed guard outside the RFPI compound.
(RFPI photo) | | | courses. On the contrary, the use of barbed wire and armed guards around the RFPI facility suggests a deliberate policy of confrontation. The UN ought to be concerned about what is happening in an institution it set up, but "no comment" was the best Media Network was able to get. The University claims that RFPI is operating illegally and has failed to pay money it owes. On 12 April 2002, the University gave RFPI formal notice of the termination of an agreement signed in 1992 with World Peace University Inc, of Oregon, USA. The University for Peace also invoked a clause in that agreement whereby either side had the right to terminate it at 90 days' notice. RFPI was duly given 90 days to leave the campus. The legal date for termination of the agreement was 10 July 2002. "No role for shortwave"
According to the University, RFPI did not respond, and the deadline was extended several times in an effort to reach an amicable settlement. Finally the University ran out of patience with the station. A spokesperson for the University told Costa Rican newspaper The Tico Times that the academic institution uses state-of-the-art technology and Internet to disseminate knowledge and teaching materials worldwide, and sees no role for the shortwave transmissions of RFPI, which it claims are aimed principally at North America.  In response RFPI cofounder and director James Latham dismissed the University's claims as: "The same old crap they throw at us again and again and again." Latham rejects the assertion that shortwave radio is antiquated, and therefore no longer relevant. "Such comments show an arrogance toward the rest of the world that is not connected to the Internet and fall on the other side of the digital divide," he said, adding that RFPI's strongest signals are in rural areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. He claims the attempted shutdown of the radio is a form of censorship and a violation of press freedom.
"Agreement invalid"
The University for Peace argues that the original operating agreement signed between itself and the World Peace University is no longer valid, since World Peace University left Costa Rica | "Radio For Peace International's programs champion human rights and social justice issues, increase global awareness of under-reported events, promote tolerance, expose prejudice, injustice and corruption and advocate environmental awareness" - RFPI Web site. | | | and changed its name, but RFPI continued to operate from the campus under the existing agreement. According to the University for Peace, this means the station has no legal right to operate on its premises. "No such organization as Radio for Peace International is legally registered either in Costa Rica or in the United States of America. As such, [the radio] has been operating from the land of the UN-affiliated University for Peace without any legal status. The operations were conducted by a small group of individuals living in Costa Rica," a University statement said. RFPI counters
However, RFPI operations manager Emily Morales says the station has been registered in the US state of Oregon since 1992 as Earth Communications Radio for Peace, a non-governmental organization with 501(C3) status. RFPI is in the process of applying for nonprofit status in Costa Rica, she explained. James Latham, says RFPI doesn't have the resources to relocate. It built its $200,000 facility with funds raised from grants and listeners, but Latham says the University for Peace has not offered to pay an indemnification for the property. The University's lawyers counter that they can't pay an indemnification to a "nonexistent" entity. Ironic situation
Latham dismisses charges that RFPI is broadcasting illegally on shortwave, noting that 7445 kHz is registered with the High Frequency Coordination Conference. He also recognises the irony of the current situation. "The University for Peace teaches Master's courses in conflict r esolution, he said. But if they can't do it here, it is going to be even harder in the Middle East," he said. Despite Latham's claims that the station cannot afford to relocate, that's exactly what now appears to be happening. Latham, who originally held out in RFPI's facility with four other people, is now reported to be busy moving equipment to an undisclosed new site. But it could be months before RFPI is heard again. Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official position of Radio Netherlands. | 
