From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: NY Nica News Update 10/4/92
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 04:10:21 GMT

/** reg.nicaragua: 129.0 **/
** Topic: .TEXT **
** Written  1:24 am  Oct  5, 1992 by nicanetny in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
     NICARAGUA SOLIDARITY NETWORK OF GREATER NEW YORK
   339 LAFAYETTE ST., NEW YORK, NY 10012 (212) 674-9499
            WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE #140, 10/4/92

In This Issue: (articles are posted as responses to this message)

     1. US Aid to Nicaragua: 1993 Approved, 1992 Still on Hold
     2. Helms' Aide Suggests US Invasion of Nicaragua
     3. Tension Grows Between Nicaraguan President and Assembly
     4. Nicaraguan Central Bank President Resigns
     5. Sullivan's Ambassador Nomination Revoked 
     6. New Contra Group Threatens Violence
     7. Former Soldiers and Contras Protest in Bluefields
     8. Nicaraguan Former Government Official Ordered Arrested
     9. Maryknoll Order Seeks to Oust Father D'Escoto 
    10. Central America Swept by Storms 
    11. Union Granted Recognition at US Plant in Guatemala
    12. Guatemalan Soldiers Sentenced for Murder of US Citizen
    13. US Drug Agent Shot Down in Guatemala
    14. Brazil's Neo-Liberal President Impeached
    15. US Backing Plan to Keep Aristide Out of Haiti?
    16. More News on Panama Bombings 
    17. Peace Corps Returns to Panama
    18. Salvadoran Rebels Postpone Demobilization
    19. Democrats Let Special Prosecutor Office Lapse

These updates are published weekly. A one-year subscription is
$25. Back issues and source materials are available on request.
(Many of our source materials are available on Peacenet.) Feel
free to reproduce these updates or reprint any information from
them, but please credit us. We welcome your comments and ideas:
send them via Peacenet to <nicanetny>.

CORRECTION: In last week's update (#139) the source was
inadvertently omitted from item #19 ("General Alert in Panama
After Explosions"). It was La Jornada 9/20/92. Another source was
partially omitted from the second paragraph of item #21
("Honduran Ex-Rebel Kidnaps Government Official from Costa
Rica"). It was El Diario-La Prensa 9/25/92 from AP. Also in
update #139, item #14 ("US Congress Approves New Restrictions on
Cuba") contained an error: the legislation passed the Senate by
voice vote after a motion to kill it failed 24 to 61.
  
** End of text from cdp:reg.nicaragua **

/** reg.nicaragua: 129.1 **/
** Written  1:24 am  Oct  5, 1992 by nicanetny in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
1. US AID TO NICARAGUA: 1993 APPROVED, 1992 STILL ON HOLD
On Oct. 2, the US Senate voted 87 to 12 to approve a $190 million
aid package for Nicaragua for fiscal year 1993. The Nicaraguan
government responded by saying it hoped that "after this clear
expression of support from the US Congress" for Nicaragua, that
"the disbursement be facilitated of the $104 million in aid for
1992 currently being held up." [El Diario-La Prensa (NY) 10/4/92
from AP] 
 
This year's funding (the amount is described elsewhere as $116
million) has been frozen since May; the action was first taken by
the US Congress, then by the US State Dept. on the recommendation
of ultra rightwing Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC). On Sept. 30, acting
US Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger met with a group of
seven senators, led by Helms, in what was reportedly an attempt
to persuade Helms to end his opposition to disbursement of the
frozen funds. After the meeting, State Dept. sources reported
that Eagleburger had not achieved his goal and that the aid
suspension would remain in place. [Latin America Data Base
10/2/92 from AFP, AP]
 
This is a bit suspicious since the aid is being held up not by
Helms, but by the State Dept. itself, and as the Nicaragua
Network in Washington points out, either Eagleburger or US
President George Bush could simply release the aid without asking
Helms' or anyone else's permission. [Nicanet Hotline 9/28/92]
Despite this, President Chamorro announced after hearing that the
aid would not be released that she is convinced the Bush
administration does not share Helms' view regarding the aid
suspension. She said President Bush "was not in agreement with
chaos... nor with those who are pressuring me to resign." 
 
In her Sept. 30 televised address, Chamorro reiterated her
government's commitment to "dignity and democracy" and said, "I
will not allow my government to become part of an office of the
senator [Helms]." In the same speech, Chamorro announced a tax
increase and hikes in water, electricity and telephone rates as
part of an effort to alleviate financial problems caused by the
aid cutoff. She also said the government would impose new
reductions in public spending and seek funding from European and
Japanese sources. No currency devaluation was announced. [ED-LP
10/2/92 from AP; LADB 10/2/92 from AFP, AP]
 
** End of text from cdp:reg.nicaragua **

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2. HELMS' AIDE SUGGESTS US INVASION OF NICARAGUA
During a Sept. 15 celebration of Central American independence
day in Miami, Deborah De Moss, aide to Sen. Jesse Helms, told
Nicaraguan exiles that a US military intervention might be
required to solve Nicaragua's problems. [LADB 9/25/92 from AFP]
According to the Nicaragua Network in Washington, Nicaraguan
daily Barricada reported De Moss' comments in Miami as calling
for a US invasion of Nicaragua to arrest Sandinista leaders in
the tradition of the 1989 US invasion of Panama. [Nicanet Hotline
9/28/92] 
 
Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Ernesto Leal responded by filing a
"verbal protest" with the US State Dept., saying that his
government felt compelled to respond since De Moss had fallen
into a pattern of "systematically using arrogant language" in her
criticisms of the Chamorro administration. [LADB 9/25/92 from
AFP] 
 
** End of text from cdp:reg.nicaragua **

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3. TENSION GROWS BETWEEN NICARAGUAN PRESIDENT AND ASSEMBLY
National Assembly president Alfredo Cesar reported on Sept. 30
that the Nicaraguan government had threatened to arrest him, and
expressed fears that troops might be sent to close the Assembly.
This followed a Sept. 29 Supreme Court decision calling on
President Violeta Chamorro to order Cesar to abide by an earlier
court ruling which had annuled the Sept. 2 elections for Assembly
first and third secretaries. 
 
During the Sept. 2 Assembly session--which was held without the
39 Sandinista deputies and the eight deputies of the UNO "center
group"--allies of Cesar's were elected to the secretarial posts.
(See Update #138) The FSLN and the center group then filed a suit
with the Managua Court of Appeals, asking it to void the
election. After the court ruled the elections null and void,
Cesar managed to reach a quorum by obtaining the support of two
center group deputies.
 
On Sept. 29, the Supreme Court voted unanimously to order Cesar
to abide by the rulings of the court of appeals, and asked
Chamorro to enforce this order. The Supreme Court also asked the
Attorney General's office "to take the necessary action" against
deputies who do not comply with the appeals court's order.
Finance Minister Emilio Pereira then announced that the
Assembly's budget would be frozen, and President Chamorro added
that until Cesar complies with the court ruling, any and all
Assembly proceedings will be considered "illegal" and she will
not sign into law any bills passed by the Assembly or authorize
any appearances by members of her government before the Assembly
or its subcommittees.
 
After hearing the Supreme Court's request, Cesar suspended the
Sept. 30 Assembly session and called the leaders of the 14
parties which make up the ruling National Opposition Union (UNO)
coalition to an emergency meeting "to analyze the action which
the executive branch may take against the National Assembly."
According to Cesar, "the executive may suspend the parliament's
budget effective Oct. 1, or it may even take military action in
order to close the Assembly premises." Cesar added, "They have
also come and warned me that they could have me arrested
tonight." 

Cesar has sent a protest letter to the world parliamentary union
(with a copy to the US Congress) claiming that the Supreme
Court's ruling was nothing more than a "Sandinista maneuver." On
Oct. 1, Cesar announced that he would personally lead 45 UNO
deputies in a march to the Supreme Court to protest
"interference" by the judiciary in the internal affairs of the
legislature. Cesar also warned that if the Assembly's funding is
blocked, he is prepared to seek assistance abroad. Cesar's term
as Assembly president officially expires in December. [Inter
Press Service 9/30/92; LADB 10/2/92 from AFP; ED-LP 10/2/92 from
AP]
 
Vice President Virgilio Godoy joined Cesar in criticizing
Chamorro's move to enforce the court ruling, calling it a
"fujimorazo" in reference to Peruvian President Alberto
Fujimori's Apr. 5 dismantling of Peru's legislative and judicial
powers. Godoy said the situation "implies a kind of breaking of
constitutional order" because "the president of the republic and
the `de facto ruler' [Presidency Minister Antonio Lacayo] are
practically assuming all the powers." [ED-LP 10/2/92 from AP]
Godoy and Cesar are strong allies; the two led a rally in the
town of La Concha recently where they addressed a crowd of about
600 and called for Chamorro to step down from the presidency.
[Nicanet Hotline 9/28/92]
 
** End of text from cdp:reg.nicaragua **

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4. NICARAGUAN CENTRAL BANK PRESIDENT RESIGNS
On Sept. 30, Central Bank president Silvio de Franco resigned,
citing "discrepancies" over economic policy matters with other
members of the cabinet. A day earlier, deputy finance minister
Leonel Rodriguez resigned his post, citing "personal reasons." De
Franco's post will be temporarily filled by Finance Minister
Emilio Pereira, who will take on the job in addition to his
current duties. De Franco is the third Central Bank president,
after Francisco Mayorga and Raul Lacayo, to leave the post so far
during President Chamorro's administration.
 
In Oct. 1 statements to reporters, De Franco, a close personal
friend of National Assembly president Alfredo Cesar, said he
decided to resign "because I was forced to keep my mouth shut and
my opinions weren't taken into account" by other members of the
cabinet. De Franco said he supported proposals to remove army
chief Gen. Humberto Ortega, to name a civilian defense minister,
and to hold a national debate on abolition of the armed forces. 
[LADB 10/2/92 from Notimex, AFP]
 
** End of text from cdp:reg.nicaragua **

/** reg.nicaragua: 129.5 **/
** Written  1:24 am  Oct  5, 1992 by nicanetny in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
5. SULLIVAN'S NOMINATION REVOKED FOR US AMBASSADOR TO NICARAGUA
The US State Department has decided to revoke the appointment of
Joseph Sullivan as ambassador to Nicaragua, in the face of
bipartisan opposition from the Senate headed by Sen. Jesse Helms
and liberal Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT). The two senators also
oppose the appointment of Michael Kozak as ambassador to El
Salvador; they claim he and Sullivan were involved in a covert
operation to aid the contras in violation of a bipartisan
agreement blocking contra aid between 1989 and 1990. Dodd and
Helms demanded information on the two diplomats' involvement in
the secret operation before they could ratify their appointment. 
 
Sources close to the two senators said it was not clear why the
government decided to suspend Sullivan's appointment, but they
denied that the two legislators had agreed to accept Kozak as
ambassador to El Salvador in exchange for the cancellation of
Sullivan's posting. Spokespersons for the two members of the
Senate's Foreign Relations comittee said they still opposed
Kozak's appointment.
 
State Department officals said that Sullivan would have been
confirmed as ambassador to Nicaragua if he had been willing to
clarify the accusation against him in the Senate. They added that
he would be appointed to another foreign service post. In the
meantime, the US will continue without ambassadors in the two
countries. [IPS 9/30/92] 
 
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6. NEW CONTRA GROUP THREATENS VIOLENCE
A new recontra group calling itself the 3-80 Command issued a
hand-written communique announcing that it has units all over the
country, including in Managua, and that it will begin "defensive"
operations soon. 3-80 was the nom de guerre of contra leader
Enrique Bermudez, assassinated on Feb. 16, 1991 in Managua. The
communique said, "Since the Sandinistas are not only governing
from below, but also from above, our forces will be attacking
military and economic targets until the military and paramilitary
apparatus of the EPS [Sandinista Popular Army] is broken up, and
the entire high command of the National Police is substituted."  
 
The EPS has begun operations against the 3-80 Command groups.
Some of the recontras have reportedly retreated into Honduras,
where they are allegedly being supplied, though Honduras said it
will repatriate any recontras seeking sanctuary there. Santiago
Murray, head of the OAS Verification Commission (CIAV) has
offered to participate in a negotiated effort to end the
fighting, while FSLN General Secretary Daniel Ortega called for
negotiations with the recontras and "a response to their economic
and social demands." Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo appealed to
the recontras to "re-educate themselves and exhaust dialogue"
before resorting to violence. [Nicanet Hotline 9/28/92]
 
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** Written  1:25 am  Oct  5, 1992 by nicanetny in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
7. FORMER SOLDIERS AND CONTRAS PROTEST IN BLUEFIELDS
On Sept. 29, a group of about 100 armed former EPS soldiers and
former contra rebels forcibly occupied several government offices
and two radio stations in the Atlantic coast city of Bluefields.
The protesters demanded plots of agricultural land and farm
tools. According to local media reports, no fighting took place. 
 
One member of the group, a former EPS officer, told reporters the
occupation was a civic protest "which will continue until the
government complies with the commitments it assumed five months
ago" to demobilized combatants. [LADB 10/2/92 from AFP]
 
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8. NICARAGUAN FORMER GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL ORDERED ARRESTED
On Sept. 17, a Managua judge issued a warrant for the arrest of
former deputy presidency minister Antonio Ibarra, who has been
charged with embezzling over $1 million in public funds.  Ibarra
left Nicaragua and has been living in the US since early 1992,
when the corruption scandal first surfaced. Attorney General
Guillermo Vargas told reporters that his office plans to begin
preparing a formal extradition request, though reports in the
Nicaraguan media indicate that Ibarra may have already left the
US for Puerto Rico in order to avoid extradition. [LADB 9/25/92
from AFP]
 
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9. MARYKNOLL ORDER SEEKS TO OUST D'ESCOTO 
The Nicaraguan Council of Evangelical Churches (CEPAD) reports
that Father Miguel D'Escoto, a Maryknoll priest and Sandinista
who served as Foreign Minister during the Ortega administration,
is being pressured to leave Nicaragua by the US-based Maryknoll
Society. Maryknoll superior General Kenneth Thesing visited
Nicaragua in March and reportedly gave D'Escoto three options:
leave Central America, resign from Maryknoll, or be expelled from
the order. In a Mar. 24 letter to Thesing, D'Escoto rejected the
ultimatum, charging that Maryknoll was responding to pressure
from the Vatican, which in turn was being pressured by the US
government. A Maryknoll spokesperson told a Toronto newspaper
that currently "everything is on hold" regarding D'Escoto. [CEPAD
Report July-August 1992]
 
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** Written  1:25 am  Oct  5, 1992 by nicanetny in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
10. CENTRAL AMERICA SWEPT BY STORMS 
Eleven people have died and dozens have disappeared in Guatemala
as tropical storms flood Central America with heavy rainfall. In
Nicaragua, some 150 people were evacuated from the port city of
Corinto; Corinto mayor Arnoldo Davila called the situation
"serious." In El Salvador, 2,000 people were evacuated from rural
areas in five departments, and vast agricultural areas have also
been affected. Several neighborhoods in the central Honduran city
of Comayagua were also evacuated. [ED-LP 10/1/92 from AFP]
 
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** Written  1:25 am  Oct  5, 1992 by nicanetny in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
11. UNION GRANTED RECOGNITION AT US PLANT IN GUATEMALA
The Guatemalan government has granted recognition to a trade
union at a plant owned by US shirt manufacturer Phillips-Van
Heusen (PVH). The PVH union is the first established in
Guatemala's maquiladora sector in over three years, and is only
the second union ever recognized in the sector. Union recognition
came in response to a petition filed by the US/Guatemala Labor
Education Project and nine other US religious, human rights and
trade union organizations, asking the US government to
investigate worker rights abuses in Guatemala to determine
whether trade benefits should be suspended. The US government has
accepted the petition, and hearings will be held in Washington on
Oct. 15. Guatemalan trade unionists, business and government
representatives will testify at the hearings, as well as US
petitioners. [US/Guatemala Labor Education Project announcement
on Peacenet, 10/3/92]
 
On Sept. 19, Guatemalan government spokesperson Arturo Alvarado
told reporters that the administration of President Jorge Serrano
"will not allow any representatives of a foreign government or
legislature to come and investigate what happens here."
Investigations by the US Trade Representative's office were
scheduled to begin this week to determine whether Guatemala's
preferential trade status should be revoked because of labor
rights violations. [LADB 9/25/92 from ACAN-EFE]
 

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/** reg.nicaragua: 129.12 **/
** Written  1:25 am  Oct  5, 1992 by nicanetny in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
12. GUATEMALAN SOLDIERS SENTENCED FOR MURDER OF US CITIZEN
On Sept. 29, a Guatemalan military court sentenced six soldiers
described as specialists in the army to 30 years each in prison
for offenses relating to the July 1990 murder of US citizen
Michael Devine. Capt. Hugo Contreras, who had been charged with
ordering the killings, was found not guilty for lack of evidence.
Guatemalan Attorney General Asisclo Valladares said his office
does not accept the verdict and will appeal, since he felt there
was sufficient evidence to convict Contreras, who was the chief
intelligence officer at a nearby military base at the time of
Devine's murder. The US Embassy in Guatemala issued a press
release on Sept. 30 saying that "justice has not been served in
this case" since "the essential question regarding responsibility
within the chain of command remains unanswered." In Guatemala, a
high-level army officer has never been punished for a serious
crime. [CERIGUA Radio Bulletin 9/30/92; LADB 10/2/92 from Reuter,
UPI, AFP]
 
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/** reg.nicaragua: 129.13 **/
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13. US DRUG AGENT SHOT DOWN IN GUATEMALA
Terry Saidare, an agent of the US Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA), was wounded Sept. 27 when the helicopter in which he was
traveling was shot down by presumed drug traffickers in the
department of Escuintla, 90 km south of the capital city. The US
Embassy made no statements about the incident, but a Guatemalan
army spokesperson confirmed that Saidare was transported to a
private hospital in the capital where he is recovering from his
injuries. The H1H Huey helicopter was hit with several shots and
forced to make an emergency landing on a private estate, owned by
an advisor to President Serrano. [ED-LP 9/29/92 from AFP]
 
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/** reg.nicaragua: 129.14 **/
** Written  1:25 am  Oct  5, 1992 by nicanetny in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
14. BRAZIL'S NEO-LIBERAL PRESIDENT IMPEACHED
Many Brazilians danced in the streets on Sept. 29 after the
Chamber of Deputies voted 441 to 38 to impeach President Fernando
Collor de Mello on charges of corruption. The impeachment vote--
the first ever in Latin America and the first anywhere in the
last fifty years--will lead to Collor's suspension from power for
180 days, during which the Senate will try him for his offenses.
If acquitted he could return to office, but an acquittal seems
unlikely. [New York Times 9/30/93; Washington Post 9/30/93]
 
Vice President Itamar Franco, 61, a politician with a long
history of connections to center-left parties but with no current
affiliation [WP 9/30/92], now becomes acting president. The major
parties have all pledged support for the new government, but the
two largest parties, the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement
Party (PMDB) and the socialist Workers Party (PT), won't
participate in Franco's cabinet. "People don't want to commit
themselves to something that probably won't work," remarked
political analyst Alexandre Barros. [NYT 10/3/92] PT spokesperson
Deputy Jose Dirceu says his party "has good will" for the new
government and is disposed to discuss an emergency program for
stability, with an emphasis on fiscal reform and reform of
electoral and party laws. [ED-LP 10/1/92 from AFP]
 
Collor de Mello's two and one half years in office were
characterized by adherence to classic neo-liberal policies of
structural adjustment and privatization; the nation fell into a
recession and the total inflation for the period was 8,500%. The
administration's collapse left pro-austerity policymakers like
Sen. Jarbas Passarinho feeling "very frustrated... We have lost
an excellent opportunity in Brazil to modernize, to privatize,
and to break up monopolies." [NYT 9/30/92] The Times calls
Collor's record "not all bad," and cites his "undeniable
achievements," especially those guided by Economy Minister
Marcilio Marques Moreira. [10/1/92] When Franco appointed a
little-known tax lawyer, Gustavo Crause, to the crucial post of
Finance Minister the Sao Paulo stock market dropped 8%. [NYT
10/3/92] Despite the change of government, November and December
will see six more auctions of state enterprises to private
bidders, for a total value of about $275 million. [Inter Press
Service 9/22/92]
 
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15. US BACKING PLAN TO KEEP ARISTIDE OUT OF HAITI?
The Los Angeles Times reported Sept. 28 that the Bush
administration was supporting a deal proposed by Haiti's de facto
government to recognize the legitimacy of elected President Jean-
Bertrand Aristide while keeping him out of the country for the
rest of his term. Aristide would be required to support an
amnesty for the military officers that overthrew his government
in a September 1991 coup; according to the LA Times, the deal
must be consummated in eight weeks or the military will replace
the current de facto government of Marc Bazin with a new
government still further to the right. State Department
spokesperson Julie Reside denied the story, insisting that "[i]t
is for the Haitians themselves to determine the best way to
restore democracy." [IPS 9/28/92]
 
Aristide marked the anniversary of the coup on Sept. 29 in an
address to the UN General Assembly in which the president, a
Catholic priest, called the Vatican's Haitian policy "a scandal."
(The Vatican is the only state in the world to maintain
diplomatic relations with the de facto regime.) As he spoke,
about 10,000 members of New York's Haitian community demonstrated
their support outside. [NYT 9/29/92; ED-LP 9/30/92] Meanwhile,
the Episcopal bishop for Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island reports
that he has offered Aristide a position ministering to the large
Haitian community in the diocese. Bishop Orris G. Walker Jr. says
the talks are still "very exploratory"; two months ago Aristide
denied that he might switch to the Episcopal Church. [New York
Newsday 9/26/92]
 
** End of text from cdp:reg.nicaragua **

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16. MORE NEWS ON PANAMA BOMBINGS 
In a Sept. 19 phone call to a local radio station, a group
calling itself the Front for Panamanian Sovereignty (Frente
Panama-Soberana) claimed responsibility for three bombings of
government buildings on Sept. 18. (See Update #139). [LADB
10/2/92 from ACAN-EFE, AFP] Meanwhile, four US marines accused of
throwing a bomb at Panamanian workers have refused to testify in
a Panamanian court, arguing that article 22 of Panama's
constitution protects everyone's right to have a lawyer present
before making any statements in court. [La Jornada (Mexico)
9/27/92]
 
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/** reg.nicaragua: 129.17 **/
** Written  1:26 am  Oct  5, 1992 by nicanetny in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
17. PEACE CORPS RETURNS TO PANAMA
On Sept. 17, US Ambassador Deane Hinton swore in a group of 12
volunteers from the Peace Corps in a ceremony marking the return
of the US organization to Panama after a 22-year absence. In
1970, head of state Gen. Omar Torrijos banned the Peace Corps
from Panama following allegations of involvement by volunteers in
espionage activities. The 12 new volunteers will work in
conjunction with the government's natural resources institute
(INRENARE) promoting soil conservation and agro-forestry
techniques in rural communities. [LADB 9/25/92 from AFP]
 
Ambassador Hinton, meanwhile, is facing charges of his own:
Panama's Foreign Minister Julio Linares complained in a note to
the US embassy on Sept. 16 that recent comments made by Hinton
constituted "interference" in Panama's internal affairs. Hinton
had told reporters he was "disappointed" with the country's
"sluggish" application of the economic structural adjustment
program. In his complaint, Linares said that Panama "does not
view as acceptable such statements from any diplomatic official."
 
Despite the warning, Hinton continued to comment on Panama's
structural adjustment program; while addressing the Peace Corps
volunteers, he called the structural changes "necessary" and
stressed that the USAID program was designed to support these
changes. Linares, in turn, responded by asking local reporters to
avoid asking foreign officials questions which might lead them to
"interfere" in the country's internal affairs. [LADB 9/25/92 from
ACAN-EFE, AFP]
 
Ambassador Hinton is not the only person to be accused of
interfering in Panama's internal affairs recently. On Sept. 25, a
group of Panamanian lawyers asked the Attorney General to order
the arrest of former Costa Rican president (and 1987 Nobel Peace
Prize winner) Oscar Arias for damaging Panama's international
profile. The lawyers say Arias interfered in Panamanian affairs
by publicly announcing his support for amendments to Panama's
constitution which would abolish the country's armed forces. The
amendments will be decided in a plebiscite on Nov. 15. The
complaint against Arias was lodged the day before his expected
arrival in the Panamanian province of Chiriqui, where he was to
address a seminar of journalists. Arias said he would not change
his travel plans. [IPS 9/25/92]
 
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18. SALVADORAN REBELS POSTPONE DEMOBILIZATION
The Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation (FMLN) has
postponed the demobilization of the third contingent of its
combatants in an effort to pressure the Salvadoran government to
begin distribution of land to the rebels and their families. Some
1800 rebels were scheduled to demobilize on Sept. 30. FMLN leader
Salvador Samayoa announced Sept. 30 that the suspension of
disarmament "could be a question of days," depending on the
result of negotiations under way with the government, mediated by
UN envoy Marrack Goulding. [ED-LP 10/1/92 from AFP]
 
** End of text from cdp:reg.nicaragua **

/** reg.nicaragua: 129.19 **/
** Written  1:26 am  Oct  5, 1992 by nicanetny in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
19. DEMOCRATS LET SPECIAL PROSECUTOR OFFICE LAPSE
While the US media continued to play up old and new charges that
George Bush was deeply involved in the Iran-contra scandal [WP
9/27/92; ED-LP 9/28/92 from AFP; ABC's "Nightline" 10/2/92; NYT
10/4/92], the actual prosecution of crimes arising from
Contragate and similar scandals was dealt two major blows
recently. On Sept. 29 U.S. District Judge struck down a key
charge against former Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger; the
judge ruled that Weinberger couldn't be tried for withholding his
notes from investigators and concealing their existence, on the
grounds that this was merely "passive lying." (The same argument
was used to spare former national security adviser John
Poindexter in 1991.) [WP 9/30/92] And the Senate let the special
prosecutor's office, created as a post-Watergate reform, die
under the threat of a Republican filibuster. The Times noted that
the "real killers were the House Democrats, so cowed by scandals
and public apathy that they preferred to let the bill die rather
than fight for it." [NYT 10/2/92]
** End of text from cdp:reg.nicaragua **

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