From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: NICANET HOTLINE -- 10/12/92
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 02:36:35 GMT

/** reg.nicaragua: 134.0 **/
** Topic: NICANET HOTLINE -- 10/12/92 **
** Written 12:54 pm  Oct 12, 1992 by nicanet in cdp:reg.nicaragua **

            NICARAGUA NETWORK HOTLINE ** 202-544-9360

                         October 12, 1992

You have reached the Nicaragua Network Hotline recorded Monday, 
October 12, 1992, the 500th anniversary of the discovery of a 
group of lost Europeans by the indigenous peoples of the 
Americas.   To reach our office, call: 202-544-9355.

Topics covered in this hotline include: Bush still hasn't 
released US aid; Constitutional crisis continues to deepen; UNO 
coalition expels two member parties; Workers win some in Region 
IV; and, four mayors to be 
removed.

President Bush failed last week to release the $104 million in 
aid to Nicaragua held up by the State Department at the request 
of Sen. Jesse Helms.  We reported a rumor last week that Bush 
would release the aid when Helms left town for the Congressional 
election recess. That rumor appears not to have been true. 
Barricada reported on October 10 that Bush had declared that 
relations between the two countries had never been better.  
However he also said, "We would like to see signs that the 
Sandinistas are contained." And he said, "We would like Nicaragua 
to do some things that it should do, like redistributing the 
land, giving titles to those who should have received them as 
part of the existing commitment.  But this has not been done."  
Those do not sound like the comments of someone who is about to 
release the aid.  In other aid related news the Presidents of 
Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador pledged to lobby to 
"convince the US Senate to solve this complex problem which is 
preventing the arrival of economic assistance to Nicaragua."  The 
leadership of COSEP, the right-wing business association met with 
representatives of the government and pledged to see what they 
could do to get the aid unblocked.  Finance Minister Emilio 
Pereira accused National Assembly President Alfredo Cesar of 
working to keep the aid held up including hurried calls to 
Senators to deny rumors that he favored disbursing the aid.  
Cesar accused the government of tapping his phone.  On the 
positive side, Minister of Foreign Cooperation Erwin Kruger 
announced that European countries have agreed to show flexibility 
in the aid in order to "rescue" the economic and political order 
in Nicaragua.

Cesar's efforts to disrupt Nicaragua's tenuous political 
stability has continued in the National Assembly.  We have been 
reporting for several weeks about the paralysis of the National 
Assembly due to Cesar's refusal to accept a Supreme Court 
decision that an election he held to fill two vacancies in the 
Assembly's leadership after the tidal wave struck were illegal.  
The FSLN and center group of UNO had walked out after Cesar 
refused to adjourn so that Delegates could help deal with the 
disaster.  Even though he was left without a quorum, Cesar 
exploited their absence to put allies in the two posts.  The 
Supreme Court has ruled several times now, most recently on 
October 5 that Cesar's actions were null and void.  Chamorro has 
called on him to respect the Supreme Court decision and has 
threatened to cut off funding to the National Assembly.  Cesar 

says he has secured funds from foreign sources to keep the 
Assembly running.  He has resorted to all sorts of dodges to 
claim he is operating with a quorum.  He has appointed alternates 
to alternates and has counted some delegates and their alternates 
as two in order to get a "quorum" of 47 needed to take action.  A 
true majority of 48 members of the Assembly signed a letter which 
called on leaders of UNO to respect the rule of law.  Nick Cooke, 
an analyst for the Central America Historical Institute writing 
about the crisis for their weekly news service said, "The present 
impass, however, is more than a constitutional disagreement; it 
looks more like a move to make the country ungovernable, and pave 
the way for an election earlier than the one scheduled for 1996."  
Cesar, Vice President Virgilio Godoy, and Managua Mayor Arnoldo 
Aleman have been holding rallies in right-wing areas of the 
country and have called for a referendum on the so-called co-
government between Chamorro and the Sandinistas.

In a story related to the paralysis of the Assembly, the UNO 
coalition expelled two of its member parties "for the stand of 
their leaders against the Political program" of the UNO.  
Expelled were the Socialist Party of Nicaragua (PSN) whose 
leader, Gustavo Tablada is a prime mover in the UNO center group, 
and the Integrationist Party of Central America (PIAC).  Tablada 
said the expulsion makes no sense since the UNO coalition stopped 
existing after the election victory of Chamorro.  The UNO is now 
a coalition of 12, rather than 14 parties.

In spite of all of the political turmoil in the country, some 
progress continues to be made by the popular forces of the 
Sandinista Revolution.  Workers in Region IV which includes 
Masaya, Granada, and Rivas recently won full ownership of a stone 
quarry, a construction company and a discotheque that were 
formerly owned by the government.  The Sandinista Workers Central 
(CST) is negotiating with the government to win the right of 
workers to by 100% of 44 companies spread throughout the economy.  
The 1991 national dialogue agreement between the government and 
unions guaranteed that workers could buy at least 25% of 
government owned business that were being privatized.  Workers 
have used a strategy, depending on the economic sector, of 
holding the government to its guarantee of 25% of each company, 
or giving up claims to some companies in exchange for 100% 
ownership of other companies.  To get the government to honor its 
commitment to either alternative has been a real struggle for the 
workers and there have been many conflicts as the government has 
attempted to sell companies to foreign investors or to give them 
back to previous owners, including some close cronies of Somoza.

And finally, the Institute for the Promotion of Municipalities 
has reported that the mayors of Niquinohomo, San Juan del 
Oriente, Camoapa, and Muy Muy are to be removed for misuse of 
public funds, influence peddling and corruption.  Requests have 
been filed for the removal of more than 70 mayors, which gives an 
indication that many UNO mayoral candidates had something other 
than political advancement in mind when they ran for election.

To become a supporter and receive our publications and mailings, 
please contact us.  The Nicaragua Network's address is: 1247 E 
St., SE, Washington, DC  20003; our phone: 202-544-9355.

** End of text from cdp:reg.nicaragua **
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive