died
former President Rodrigo Carazo Odio, star charged moments of history in Central America, Venezuela and Cuba. Recall here some stories we share. Pictured President Rodrigo Carazo and José Emilio Castellanos. In the back you look at the presidents Aristides Royo (Panama) and Julio César Turbay Ayala (Colombia).
by Jose Emilio Castellanos
Washington DC, December 10, 2009
A few hours after arriving at San José de Costa Rica, to cover the start of the final war between the Sandinistas and the regime Anastasio Somoza in 1979, there was a story that at that time published in El Nacional, Caracas, the product of a political alarmism.
The then ambassador to Venezuela in Costa Rica, Rolando Grooscors was big news stemming from the crisis by sending planes Costa Rica Venezuelans to defend against possible aggression by Somoza. In front of the Costa Rican government was Rodrigo Carazo Odio, and ruled Venezuela Carlos Andrés Pérez, who maintained friendship since the Venezuelan remained in San Jose, as an exile from the regime of Marcos Pérez Jiménez.
Upon learning of my presence in San Jose Grooscors ambassador went to the hotel I was staying and meet with a wide smile she asked me to hurry because he wanted to take me to an interview I would be interested. He sat in the back seat and invited me to sit beside the driver. He warmly welcomed me to his country and said he wanted dearly to Venezuela, where he lived and Tabajara. Interestingly
on the road, a busy noon, people greeted the driver with much deference, "Hi, male", was heard saying outside the window. The ambassador smiled and the driver continued his dialogue with me, asking me questions about the situation in Venezuela and the facts that were recorded in Nicaragua.
After a long journey came to a quiet street and the driver stopped the car in front of a residence, while two soldiers dutifully opened the door to the driver while one of them said: President, we were scared because you do not drive well this car .... "
was there when Grooscors ambassador said: "José Emilio, I present to President Rodrigo Carazo, my friend and now your friend ....".
The story was held all afternoon at a meeting that discussed and outs of the struggle against Somoza, the different groups and tendencies of the Sandinista the radical wing that dominated the so-called northern front, the protracted people's war led by Tomas Borges and "El Danto" the line of urban struggle led by Jaime Whillock, and third, led by the Ortega brothers and the then famous Commander Zero, Eden Pastora.
talks also was featured on the Carter-Torrijos Panama Canal, the civil war of 48 in Costa Rica, the invasion of Fidel Castro in Cuba and the role played by Venezuela and Costa Rica in those years, and his friendship with Venezuela . Regarding the latter Carazo told me that he was secretary of an exiled Venezuelan Alejandro Oropeza Castillo, daily and shared with his family, including his daughter Isa Dobles. He also taught at a school where teachers were equally conventional time Carlos Andrés Pérez and Rolando Grooscors.
Regarding military aircraft sent to Costa Rica by Carlos Andrés Pérez, Carazo Grooscors told me that I'm calling to inform you that I had concrete information about the intention of bombing the Central Somoza Hidrelectrica of El Arenal, which would cause serious damage the country and affect numrosas industrial plants. "This was what gave rise to the shipment of three bombers and two General Staff, (Anibal Teran and Balbino Colmenares) as a collaboration of Venezuela to the demilitarized Costa Rica." Fall
the Perez Jimenez dictatorship and Oropeza Castillo Romulo Betancourt of Venezuela to invite to form part of the commission that conducted the evaluation of programs Banco Obrero, the "Superblock" Building on the time of Perez Jimenez, who had caused much debate on their suitability as a housing solution. There is also the idea of \u200b\u200bexpanding the housing finance programs for the middle class because there was only the Workers' Bank program for low-income people. The responsibility was entrusted to Rodrigo Carazo, then an expert in the area, who settled in Caracas giving rise to what were the savings and loan institutions. "Those were the days armed struggle in Venezuela, coups against Romulo Betancourt, both right and left, "he noted. A few days later I comment Commander Zero, in an interview a few days before the invasion of Nicaragua, also in those years he lived in Caracas, was a member of the Youth of AD and worked for the Bank for Agriculture and Livestock.
My last meeting with Rodrigo Carazo was in Tokyo where he attended a conference. Ramon Guillermo Aveledo accompanied me and the journalist Carlos Subero. Former President invited me to his table at lunch, with his wife Estrella, while he said the waiter, convincingly: "But here serving us the shark fin soup. You are extinct sharks in our seas. "
A third meeting was in Tegucigalpa, on the occasion of signing the peace treaty between Honduras and El Salvador, an event that I attended as part of the delegation of President Luis Herrera Campins, as a reporter for El Nacional.
However, the meetings during their visits to Caracas had a different connotation. There he indulged his pleasure in Venezuelan cuisine.
Rodrigo Carazo, a great humanist, more than a politician.
