From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: NICANET HOTLINE -- 09/28/92
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 00:32:13 GMT

/** reg.nicaragua: 187.0 **/
** Topic: NICANET HOTLINE -- 09/28/92 **
** Written  1:08 pm  Sep 28, 1992 by nicanet in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
            NICARAGUA NETWORK HOTLINE ** 202-544-9360
 
                         September 28, 1992
 
You have reached the Nicaragua Network Hotline recorded Monday, 
September 28, 1992.   To reach our office, call: 202-544-9355.
 
Topics covered in this hotline include: Senate should vote on 
Foreign Aid this week; Nicaragua has a week that looked like 
1984; US aid hold-up may cause debt payment default; Cesar 
paralyses National Assembly; Right-wing pressures Chamorro to 
resign; and four Sandinistas refuse to meet with Ethics 
Commission.
 
The US Senate will probably vote this week on the FY93 Foreign 
Aid bill.  Senator Jesse Helms has vowed to offer floor 
amendments attaching harsh political restrictions to aid to 
Nicaragua.  Contact your Senators and ask them to oppose 
amendments restricting the disbursement of aid to Nicaragua.  
Also ask them to oppose the $11 million the bill includes for 
military aid to El Salvador.  It is important to make these calls 
immediately, since the bill could come to the Senate floor any 
time.
 
Central America Historical Institute author Nick Cooke, in his 
intro to this week's Nicaragua News Service wrote, "With much of 
the news this past week, it appeared as though Nicaragua had 
flashbacked into the 1980s.  A US Senator's aid was talking of 
sending troops, the Foreign Ministry protested to the State 
Department about this, the EPS began an offensive against groups 
of recontras in the northern hills, the recontras were retreating 
back into Honduras from where they were being supplied...One can 
only say either that it is eerie that history is repeating itself 
in a new form now, or that those that make history suffer from a 
lack of imagination."
  Barricada reported that Deborah DeMoss, author of the Helms 
Report justifying holding up aid to Nicaragua, called in a Miami 
speech for a US invasion of Nicaragua to arrest Sandinista 
leaders in the tradition of the US invasion of Panama.  Foreign 
Minister Ernesto Leal filed a formal protest of DeMoss' 
statements with the State Department
  The Nicaraguan army began operations last week against recontra 
groups of the 3-80 Command.  3-80 was the nomme de guerre of 
Enrique Bermudez who Reagan had tapped to organize the contras in 
1981, and who was assassinated in Managua last year.  Reportedly, 
some of the recontras retreated into Honduras from where they are 
being supplied.  It is an interesting question who is supplying 
the recontras, but Honduras said that it will repatriate any 
recontras seeking sanctuary in their country.  Of course, we 
learned during the 80's the value of guarantees given by the 
Honduran government.  The 3-80 Command issued a hand-written 
communique announcing it has units all over the country including 
Managua and would begin "defensive" operations soon.  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 is broken up, and the entire high command of 
the National Police is substituted."  Since the combat experience 
of the contras is primarily against cooperatives, schools, and 
health clinics, we expect these to be the targets rather than the 
military as the communique claims. Santiago Murray, head of the 
OAS's Verification Commission has offered to participate in a 
negotiated effort to end the fighting and Daniel Ortega has also 
called for negotiations to "give them a response to their 
economic and social demands."  Cardinal Obando y Bravo appealed 
to the recontras to "re-educate themselves and exhaust dialogue" 
before becoming violent and causing death.
 
The Nicaraguan Government may suspend payments of interest on its 
foreign debt, the New York Weekly News Update reported based on 
Mexican press reports.  After denying reports of a possible 
default for several weeks, Nicaraguan Minister of Foreign 
Cooperation Eric Kruger explained that if the $116 million in aid 
frozen by the US State Department is not released by September 
30, Nicaragua will default on its payments.  But, he also said, 
"there are good signs that the aid from the US will be disbursed" 
before Sept. 30.  We hope he is right, but there is no public 
evidence to justify such optimism.  National Assembly President 
Alfredo Cesar told La Prensa that not only will this year's aid 
not be forthcoming, but next year's aid will not be released 
either. Minister of the Presidency Antonio Lacayo said the 
government would not hold much stock with what Cesar is saying, 
"at least until he is certified as representative of the United 
States, then we will begin to listen to him."  Cesar has been on 
the CIA payroll for many years.  President Chamorro spoke with 
Acting Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger while she was in 
New York last week to address the United Nations.  La Prensa said 
he assured her that George Bush is working "intensely" to have 
the aid freed up so that it arrives in Nicaragua at an "opportune 
date" so that "the economic stabilization plan is not harmed."  
The is a disingenuous response since there is no legal impediment 
to releasing the aid.  Either Bush or Eagleburger could simply 
release the aid without the need for any other action, but they 
are using the objections raised by Helms to try to force Chamorro 
to give in to the US objective of destroying the Sandinistas.
 
The National Assembly continues to be paralyzed as Cesar last week 
defied a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated elections he had 
held to fill two vacancies on the Assembly's leadership during a 
period when there wasn't a quorum.  The FSLN and 10 UNO 
legislators are refusing to meet until Cesar respects the 
unanimous Supreme Court decision.  Cesar claims the Supreme Court 
does not have authority to rule on the actions of another branch 
of government. 
 
The recent alliance of Cesar and Vice President Virgilio Godoy, 
both of whom want to be president in 1996, was firmed up at a 
rally in the town of La Concha last week.  Managua Mayor Arnoldo 

Aleman was also expected to participate, but failed to show up.  
Godoy and Cesar addressed a crowd of about 600 and called for 
Chamorro to step down from the presidency.
 
And finally, the FSLN's Ethics Commission, which was created at 
the Party Congress last year took the unprecedented step of 
releasing the names of four militants who have had ethics charges 
filed against them but have refused to meet with the Commission.  
A Sandinista militant is a full member of the party who agrees to 
set a revolutionary example in his or her personal and 
professional life.  National Directorate member Bayardo Arce 
criticized the Ethics Commission for releasing the names and 
criticized Daniel Ortega for saying that he would personally talk 
to the four to try to convince them to appear.  Arce's brother 
Guillermo is one of the four against whom ethics charges have 
been filed. 
 
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