Word: ortega
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...diplomatic maneuvers looked a bit flat-footed, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega Saavedra seemed to execute several deft pirouettes. He announced that three exiled priests could return to Nicaragua and hinted that the Roman Catholic Church's radio station might be reopened within 90 days. Some Central American officials speculated that Ortega was merely trying to embarrass the Reagan Administration; others argued that with Nicaragua's economy a shambles, Ortega was genuinely bent on procuring peace. Whatever the case, on the public relations front, conceded a U.S. official, "the Sandinistas have certainly done much better than we have...
...were met. "We are prepared to give the plan a fair try," said Alfonso Robelo. "We won't put up any hurdles." Contra Military Commander Enrique Bermudez, however, asserted that the rebels would not lay down their weapons on Nov. 7, nor would they accept an amnesty offered by Ortega. During their meeting with Reagan, the contra leaders proposed that the President secure renewed funding from Congress, then place the military portion of that aid in an escrow account. The money would become available only if Managua broke the cease-fire. Though the Administration refused to commit itself...
...Nicaragua, Ortega went to unusual lengths to demonstrate his commitment to the Guatemala agreement. His boldest gesture was to name Miguel Cardinal Obando y Bravo, one of the Sandinistas' harshest critics, to a four-person commission that will oversee Managua's compliance with the plan. While State Department Spokeswoman Phyllis Oakley applauded Obando's appointment, she charged that "the Sandinistas have stacked the council in their favor...
...Ortega faces skepticism not only abroad but also at home. In a rare display of divisiveness among the nine members of the Sandinista directorate, Interior Minister Tomas Borge seemed to try to undercut Ortega's public relations offensive last week. After Ortega announced that the priests could return, Borge declared that the 30-day jail sentences imposed on two opposition leaders last month were "not commutable." Their crime: staging a protest rally in Managua without a permit. Sandinista officials privately acknowledged that police use of electric prods and attack dogs to break up the rally had been heavy-handed...
Perhaps. The Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front showed little interest in the peace plan when it was first discussed in February, but the rebels were forced to pay closer attention when Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega joined Duarte in affixing his signature to the accord two weeks ago. Last week Duarte proposed that the rebels sit down with his government on Sept. 15 to discuss a cease-fire and amnesty. The rebels agreed to talk but not under the aegis of the Guatemala Plan...