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- Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
- Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!rich
- From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
- Subject: NICARAGUA: CHAMORRO SHRUGS OFF "TECHNICAL" COUP
- Message-ID: <1992Aug14.092324.328@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
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- Organization: PACH
- Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 09:23:24 GMT
- Approved: map@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Lines: 144
-
- /** reg.nicaragua: 114.0 **/
- ** Topic: IPS: Chamorro Shrugs Off **
- ** Written 8:16 am Aug 10, 1992 by hrcoord in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
- From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
- Subject: IPS: Chamorro Shrugs Off
-
- /* Written 12:16 am Aug 10, 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: CHAMORRO SHRUGS OFF ''TECHNICAL'' COUP
-
- managua, aug 7 (ips/nazarena zeledon) -- nicaraguan president
- violetta chamorro has shrugged off an attempt by three
- politicians of her ruling coalition to force radical changes in
- her administration, dismissing observers' analyses that their
- ''technical' coup could lead to a new civil war.
-
- ''it is a scratched record,'' chamorro said, referring to an
- eight-point declaration issued wednesday by the three, who
- include vice-president virgilio godoy. foremost among their
- demands is the dismissal of general humberto ortega as head of
- the armed forces.
-
- godoy, parliamentary speaker alfredo cesar and managua mayor
- arnoldo aleman formed a ''strategic alliance wednesday in an
- attempt to force chamorro to purge her administration of members
- of the sandinista national liberation front (fsln) including
- ortega.
-
- the three belong to the independent liberal party (pli), the
- social democratic party (psd) and the constutional liberal party
- (plc), three of the parties of the national opposition union
- (uno) which backed chamorro at elections in february 1990.
-
- they also want the passing of a draft law on property,
- accepted by liberal and conservative parties but vetoed by
- chamorro.
-
- the draft law prescribes the return to their former owners of
- property confiscated under the previous sandinista government,
- including lands which had belonged to supporters of former
- dictator anastasio somoza.
-
- a uno source is reported by the media as saying that the
- alliance's ultimate aim is to force chamorro to resign, following
- which she would be replaced by godoy.
-
- chamorro said the eight demands resume the pressures and
- threats which she has been receiving ever since she assumed power
- two and a half years ago.
-
- in public reactions to the demands, the nicaraguan president
- dismissed the importance of the triumvirate and denied that she
- had called an emergency cabinet meeting to analyse the situation.
-
- ''no one has sent me the document,'' she said, explaining that
- she heard of their demands through the press.
-
- chamorro also warned the population about promises which the
- group headed by the three politicians might make. ''they will
- even offer you money. never in my life have i bought anyone,''
- she said. (more)
- ----
-
-
- godoy, cesar and aleman had formed a similar alliance in the
- 1980s, when they were arch-enemies of the sandinistas.
-
- chamorro recalled that godoy had backed her against the
- sandinistas in the electoral campaign in 1989-1990 she said he
- was under foreign pressure to oppose the line of her government.
-
- she also recalled that cesar had participated in the main
- decisions on the composition of the government. ''we worked
- together and decided on most of the ministers,'' she said.
-
- the new alliance not only wants chamorro to remove fsln
- members from all influential positions in the public service, but
- is also demanding the removal of ''any minister who opposes'' any
- of the eight points.
-
- it has maintained that the nicaraguan president is governing
- jointly with the fsln and is managing the country's ''politics
- and economy in an irresponsible manner.''
-
- they said she was responsible for an ''impending economic
- collapse'' and had ''betrayed and derailed the main objectives of
- the governmental plan for which the people voted'' in 1990.
-
- the alliance has the backing of a powerful conservative lobby
- in the united states, led by republican congressman jesse helms.
-
- this lobby moved successfully to have a 104 million dollar
- u.s. aid package for nicaragua frozen. chamorro needs the funds
- badly for an economic stabilization and reactivation plan her
- government is implementing.
-
- the u.s. administration has conditioned the release of the
- package on the dismissal of fsln members from top administration
- posts.
-
- however, chamorro has the support of a section of the u.s.
- congress. on thursday, 61 members of the house of representatives
- called for the release of the aid in a letter to secretary of
- state james baker.
-
- they said chamorro's government was trying to make the
- necessary political and economic changes which will lead to
- lasting democracy and economic growth.
-
- the helms lobby is also backing the alliance's call for the
- formation of a new cabinet.
-
- ''this is nothing more than a declaration of war against
- anything that smells of chamorro,'' said parliamentarian
- alejandro solorzano, member of the so-called 'centrist group'
- which broke away from the uno to throw its support behind the
- president. (more)
- ----
-
-
- solorzano accused the alliance of instigating an economic
- blockade against nicaragua, ''knowing fully well that there are
- unemployed people who need job opportunities.''
-
- the alliance has been conducting an intense campaign and has
- vowed to travel abroad to win support for its cause, including in
- the united states.
-
- the political conjuncture has also helped the alliance, which,
- responding to the demands of 30,000 university students on strike
- for over one month now, has called for an increase in the
- government's budget for universities.
-
- while chamorro has the backing of the fsln, that support is
- not unconditional and she is now locked in a hard negotiation
- with the leaders of the front, which is the largest political
- party in nicaragua. (end/ips/trd/so/nz-oh/kb/92)
- ----
-
-
- ** End of text from cdp:reg.nicaragua **
-
-