ROTA Resort & Country Club has terminated a multi-million negotiation with the controversial Global Country of World Peace which earlier offered to buy the hotel.
Shigeru Fukuzawa, representative of SNM Corp. which owns Rota Resort, said this decision came out after more than three months of “stagnating” negotiations with Global Country over the possible sale of the hotel.
“SNM Corp. has decided not to continue with the negotiation with Global Country of World Peace, and not to sell Rota Resort & Country Club,” said Fukuzawa in a one-page statement to Variety.
Rota Resort’s announcement also came out two months after the Rota legislative delegation turned down the offer of Global Country to turn their island into the “peace capital of the world.”
Jesse Rojas, special assistant to Fukuzawa, said Global Country approached SNM Corp. for the purchase of the hotel, but “nothing happened after that.”
“We want to set the record straight. We are no longer interested in pursuing the negotiation with them. We are not going to sell Rota Resort to them,” Rojas told Variety in a telephone interview.
He said the hotel is currently “doing very well,” although it “hopes to do a lot more” given the current economic conditions and the effects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Rota Mayor Benjamin T. Manglona, a staunch supporter of Global Country, yesterday said he was not part of the negotiation between Rota Resort and Global Country, but added that he would always look after the welfare of the island’s residents.
“All I want to know is that whatever they have agreed or not agreed upon, the interests of the people of Rota are protected, especially their well-being and employment,” Manglona told Variety in a separate telephone interview.
Rota Resort has been in operation since 1995 under the ownership and management of SNM Corp., a subsidiary of Shirayama Shokusan based in Osaka, Japan.
Global Country is reportedly negotiating with the Costa Rican government.
Global Country earlier wanted Rota to “secede” from the CNMI. It offered to build a peace palace, peace university, peace garden and bring in over $1 billion of investments.
