In January of 2000, the government, which had seriously entertained the requests, reversed their stance and rejected the team pleas. The government reversal may well have been due to the unfavorable press it was receiving in the mass media, more than a genuine belief the opposition was right. Nonetheless, there were political and economic issues broached by the requests and subsequent debate over them. This paper will explore these and show that the government actually should have considered offering support. 8 pgs. 7 f/c. 8b.