Word: accords
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...status as an independent decision maker, but it was far friendlier than a session in Washington on the same subject. When Ronald Reagan met with more than a dozen conservative supporters to discuss his tentative support of the Guatemala plan, as well as his sponsorship of a rival accord hammered out with Democratic House Speaker Jim Wright, his guests angrily denounced both pacts. They argued that either one of them would destroy the U.S.-backed contras who are fighting to overthrow Ortega's Sandinista government. Said Howard Phillips, chairman of the Conservative Caucus, a 700,000-member lobbying group...
...heated reaction from Reagan's longtime supporters sowed further discord within an Administration that had not made up its mind about the wisdom of either agreement. As Reagan waffled last week, first embracing the Guatemala plan, then amending his own accord, the White House found itself attacked on all sides. On Friday, Central American Special Envoy Philip Habib resigned, reportedly because he was not consulted on the Reagan-Wright accord and was doubtful that the Guatemala plan would work...
...White House accord, hastily put together in 15 days, was announced with great fanfare two weeks ago. Three days later the Central American leaders signed their deal, first presented by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez in February. Speaker Wright abruptly shifted ground, saying the homegrown Central American accord must prevail and that the White House proposal would be "merely supportive." Though Reagan initially gave his blessing to the Guatemala plan as well, he did not anticipate the fire storm of reaction from his conservative supporters, who were already appalled that the President had countenanced discussions with the Sandinistas...
...votes new aid to the contras, Nicaraguan Vice President Sergio Ramirez Mercado said, then Managua will not institute reforms and the Guatemala plan will collapse. Nonetheless, there is genuine hope among the Central American leaders that their accord will succeed. Under the plan, Nicaragua's contras and leftist rebel groups in El Salvador and Guatemala would be deprived of new arms, and the contras would be ejected from their bases in Honduras. Not surprisingly, the contras remain deeply suspicious. "There's just no way we're going to put down our arms and surrender," says Contra Leader Pedro Joaquin Chamorro...
Duarte's best hope now is that the Guatemala peace initiative will force the Salvadoran rebels to lay down their arms. Under the accord, outside aid to all guerrilla groups must cease, which means that clandestine arms shipments to the guerrillas from Cuba and Nicaragua would stop. Says a State Department official: "It's a definite plus for the Salvadoran government...