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- From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
- Subject: NICANET HOTLINE -- 08/31/92
- Message-ID: <1992Sep1.233419.12860@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
- Followup-To: alt.activism.d
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- Organization: PACH
- Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 23:34:19 GMT
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-
- /** reg.nicaragua: 112.0 **/
- ** Topic: NICANET HOTLINE -- 08/31/92 **
- ** Written 5:01 pm Aug 31, 1992 by nicanet in cdp:reg.nicaragua **
- NICARAGUA NETWORK HOTLINE ** 202-544-9360
-
- August 31, 1992
-
- You have reached the Nicaragua Network Hotline recorded Monday,
- August 31, 1992. To reach our office, call: 202-544-9355.
-
- Topics covered in this hotline include: The continuing saga of US
- aid; Government's property compensation plans revealed; New
- attempt to solve Atlantic Coast government crisis; Central
- America Free Trade Agreement provokes reactions; Transport strike
- settled, teachers strike begins; and, cholera cases top 1,000.
-
- The Miami Herald, in its Sunday edition, ran a story based on a
- yet to be released report by the Republican staff of the Senate
- Foreign Relations Committee. The report, written by Deborah
- DeMoss, the Helms staffer who keeps a picture in her office of
- Roberto D'Aubisson, father of the Salvadoran death squads,
- contains a number of claims. The article reported that the US
- has given Nicaragua $1 billion in aid. Its unclear if this is
- the Miami Herald's error or the Republican report. The true
- figure is only about half that much, and doesn't even begin to
- approach a billion if you add the contra demobilization funds
- given to the UN and OAS. The report also charges Chamorro and
- Lacayo with nepotism. Much of Nicaragua's small educated class
- is related resulting in many families such as Chamorro's own that
- contains leaders of movements that span the political spectrum
- from FSLN to the contras. It would probably be impossible to
- fill all the vacancies in government without appointing some
- relatives. The Republican report also charges that state-owned
- banks used US money to make $167 million in loans that were never
- repaid. In the first place, much of the US aid has been
- restricted to international debt payments and other economically
- unproductive purposes, not allotted to agricultural loans. And
- in the second place the defaulted loans were have almost across
- the board been made to the COSEP cotton and coffee producers.
- Small farmers and cooperatives are having serious difficulties
- planting at all because they are cut off from credit. The report
- also charges Humberto Ortega with having millions of dollars in a
- Canadian bank and Antonio Lacayo with skimming US aid to bribe
- members of the National Assembly. Neither charge has much
- credibility, but they are the kind of charges Helms likes to make
- because it is difficult for the accused to prove his innocence.
- The Miami Herald reports that the accusations are
- unsubstantiated, based on newspaper reports and unnamed sources.
- We will produce a more detailed response to the report when we
- receive a copy.
- President Chamorro backed away somewhat from Lacayo's claim
- last week that changes in the police, including the firing of
- Police Chief Rene Vivas, would not be made until the US aid was
- released, but she also said "I will not hang myself in
- disappointment" if the aid is not released. Although Chamorro
- appears to be willing to go a long way to get the aid released,
- it is obvious that the heavy handed US pressure is not winning
- her heart. Indeed, Daniel Ortega advised Nicaraguans to forget
- about US aid saying that the elimination of assistance to Central
- America is predictable over the next few years anyway. FSLN
- National Directorate member Henry Ruiz said the US administration
-
- appears to be in agreement with Helms and is upping the ante for
- release of aid. Ruiz said that earlier the replacement of Vivas
- and 30% of the police leadership was sufficient, but now the US
- government is demanding return of 800 properties to "North
- American" citizens and clearing up unsolved murders of former
- contras including Enrique Bermudez.
-
- Barricada reported on August 24 that the government's plans to
- compensate those "unjustly" confiscated by the Sandinistas
- includes $18 million in direct cash payments in 1993 and stock
- shares in the major public utility companies. The paper quoted
- Treasurer Guillermo Ruiz saying that all forms of compensation
- will total $180 million. This is larger than the entire Bush
- Administration aid request for Nicaragua next year. The National
- Workers Front (FNT) warned the government not to attempt to
- privatize companies without honoring the national dialogue
- agreement to sell workers at least 25% of the stock and warned
- that if properties confiscated under decrees 3 and 38 are
- privatized without worker compensation that they will be seized.
- Decrees 3 and 38 were the laws under which properties of Somoza
- and his closest associates were confiscated.
-
- You may recall that several months ago the FSLN and YATAMA
- members of the South Atlantic Regional Council united to oust
- Governor Alvin Guthrie and to elect FSLN member Ray Hooker.
- Guthrie claimed there was not a quorum present and Chamorro
- backed his appeal to the Supreme Court. On August 25, apparently
- motivated by the fact the the court did not rule within the 45
- days mandated by law, the Regional Council again voted to oust
- Guthrie. This time in a clear majority of 25 out of 43 elected
- council members voted Guthrie out. Three UNO councilmembers even
- joined the 19 Sandinistas and 3 Yatama members out of disgust at
- Guthrie's pervasive corruption.
-
- Reactions to the signing of a Free Trade Agreement between
- Central America and Mexico are beginning to be heard. Even the
- right-wing business association COSEP is divided with some of its
- members fearing that the four year transition is not sufficient
- for them to become competitive with foreign companies.
- Spokespersons for the Small and Medium Industry Association
- (CONAPI) and the Union of Small and Medium Farmers (UNAG) issued
- warnings that free trade would only aggravate the already dire
- situations of their members who face the highest costs in Central
- America and suffer disadvantages in terms of access to credit and
- technical assistance.
-
- A preliminary settlement of the five day old bus and transport
- strike was announced on August 24. The strike closed product
- transport over the borders, quickly resulting in shortages in the
- markets. The strike is suspended pending final negotiation of
- road taxes. As that strike was settled the teachers union ANDEN
- announced staggered work stoppages to achieve a pay increase,
- compliance with the collective bargaining agreement, employment
- +guarantees, and teacher training courses.
-
- And finally, the grim cholera scorecard has now surpassed 1,000
- cases and eight deaths. Cholera cases are rising rapidly,
- especially in the Managua region.
-
-
- 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 **
-