Date: 1988-07-11
Speaker: JIMMY CARTER (democrat)
Chamber: S

ExPresident of the United States. Plains. Georgia. USA. DEAR MR. CARTER: Since your visit to Nicaragua in February 1986. when we had the opportunity and the honor of receiving cf you at LA PRENSA. many things have happened in our country that demand your attention. You will remember from our conversations at that tine you recognized that the presence of "Sandinismo" in power in Nicaragua was. in some measure. the consequence of the struggle for respect of Nicaraguans human rights that you had engaged in as President of the United States. halting the abuses and outrages of the dictatorial dynasty of the Somozas. Your effort was used by the worldwide democratic left to propel the FSLN to public power. At that time (1979) it was believed tile FSLN would respect its word. pledged to you. the GAS and the world. of establishing a system of government based on political pluralism. a mixed economy and nonalignment. By February 1986 it was obvious that those promises were not anything more than a joke and a total deception of our people. The memorandum that LA PRENSA presented to you at you. request explained in detail the situation under which we were living In Nicaragua at the time and the constant abuses of human rights perpetrated by the Sandinista Government. which had committed itself to establish MarxismLeninism. Since then notable events have taken place. LA PRENSA was closed indefinitely in June 1988. A political constitution. instituting totalitarianism and the hegemony of the Sandinista PartyGovernmentArmy. and a national emergency. which ended all vestiges of human rights in our country. were dictated In January 1987. Also around that time the approval of military aid to the Nicaraguan Resistanee by the United States Congress. to counteract the abuses of the Sandinista Regime. culminated In the Sandinista Government signing. in 1987. the Central American Peace Agreements. better known as "Esquipulas II." In which Nicaraguans again put our hopes of having peace and recovering democracy. Next August 7 will be the first anniversary of the signing of that historic document. a work of the democratic and pacifist will of the President of Costa Rica. Mr. Oscar Arias. In signing it the Sandinista Government committed itself to decree a general amnesty for the thousands of political prisoners who are suffering In this countrys Jails and to take tile necessary measures for the political democratization of its regime. with tile object le of achieving national reconciliation. The personal intervention of President Arias achieved the reopening of LA PRENSA on October 1. 1987. A year has passed and the Sandinistas. following their wellknown tactic of deception and delay. have reaffirmed their commitment In San Jose. Costa Rica (January 1988). They signed the Sapoa Agreements (March 1988). They have held four meetings in Managua with the Nicaraguan Resistance (armed rebels) and 25 sessions with the internal political opposition In order to achieve a definitive ceasefire and democratization. They do not comply with what was promised. They only want the unconditional surrender of the rebel forces and a submissive collaboration of the internal political forces without conceding absolutely anything regarding previously mentioned democratic measures. For having denounced all of this. Mr. Carter. LA PRENSA and I are being subJected to the lowest and most shameless attacks by the official media (including Party/Staterun television). in which the latter have reached the height of villainy by presenting me as approving of the murder of my husband. Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Cardenal. I am telling you all this because. in a certain way. from different perspectives and circumstances. you and I contributed to the overthrow of the Samoza dynasty that was destroying this unfortunate country and to the enthronement of the FSLN in power in Nicaragua. You. with your humanitarian policy of protesting the human rights violated by the dictatorship and I. with the precious blood of my husband and the perinanent struggle of LA PRENSA. kept denouncing those violated rights. Both you and I gave our help so that a regime that would r..present democratic ideals could be installed in Nicaragua. You. on recognizing the Sandinista Government and I. forming part of the Junta of the Provisional Government. With those precedents there Is no doubt we assumed a historical responsibility. Thus. I believe I have the right to follow closely and denounce the current situation of this country. which has been deceived because the democratic ideals to which we aspired were not put Into practice. Since you along with me were part of the solution given at that time to the Nicaraguan draina. I feel moved to request your help so that together we might pursue the unfinished task and show publicly the precarious situation in which human rights as well as political rights find themselves in this country. The fact is we cannot accept the hollow promises of the Sandinistas but must insist on concrete measures now to achieve genuine democratization. Because of all the above I ask that you and the greatest number of United States democrats Join the great campaign begun worldwide to achieve the objective that "Sandinismo" comply with Esquipulas II. Now Is the tine to act. The interet you demonstrate for our democratic cause will be recognized by our people. especially by yours truly. VrOLrrA B. DE CHAMORRO.