From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Date: 14 Aug 92 10:25 PDT
Subject: IPS: US Accused of Fomenting
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1473800258:000:3271
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Aug 14 10:25:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: IPS: US Accused of Fomenting

/* Written 12:20 am  Aug 14, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: NICARAGUA: UNITED STATES ACCUSED OF FOMENTING INSTABILITY


managua, aug 11 (ips) -- u.s. aid to nicaragua will not promote
economic growth in the central american country, but will cause
it to lose its sovereignty and increase poverty and instability,
a top official of the sandinista national liberation front (fsln)
has charged.

former interior minister tomas borge, who is a member of the
fsln's nine-member directorate, said in an article in the daily
''el nuevo diario'' friday that ''if the u.s. plan becomes a
reality the country will lose control over itself.''

borge said that u.s. aid to the government of president
violeta chamorro will go to projects which benefit some private
enterprises, but excludes peasants and small businessmen.

washington has earmarked funds totalling 581 million dollars
for nicaragua since chamorro took office in 1990. ''it gave a
similar amount to the ''contras'' (the armed opposition to the
fsln government between 1979 and 1989) and with the same aim,''
borge said.

''the u.s. aid is not targetted at the country's development,
but to undo the accomplishments of the (sandinista) revolution''
he added.

the u.s. government has conditioned the release of further aid
for 1992 (to the sum of 104 million dollars) on the purging of
fsln members from decision-making positions in the nicaraguan
government and other state bodies.

according to borje, us aid has gone to ''democratic
institutions selected by the united states,'' such as private
businesses, the salesians (the congregation headed by catholic
cardinal miguel obando), trade unions and right-wing radio
stations.

the former minister highlighted that 12 million dollars were
utilized to ''depoliticize'' textbooks used during the 1980s,
when the sandinistas were in power, ''while the teachers receive
miserable salaries.''

and while the u.s. assistance ''earmarked five million dollars
for the purchase of vehicles for government officials, it only
assigned 1.5 million dollars for the purchase of medicines,'' he
pointed out.

borge also criticized an adjustment programme begun in march
1991 by the chamorro government, which, he said, ''does not take
our peasants into account and forgets that the revolution
democratized the ownership of property.'' (more)
----


the return of property confiscated by the state in the 1980s
to former owners, especially north americans, is one of the
demands of a conservative lobby in the united states congress,
which was instrumental in the freezing of this year's aid.

''the electorate has been duped because the aid is an
instrument for interfering to the last cent in the country's
affairs,'' the fsln official said.

it is also aimed at strengthening the extreme right, which
''has been bolstered by the electoral defeat (of the fsln in
1990), but it does not even represent a pain-killer for the
severe economic crisis,'' according to the former interior
minister. (end/ips/trd/so/nz-sfi/kb/92)
----