Nicaragua's Fragile Social Stability in Danger for nytcamer@nyxfer; Wed, 12 Apr 2000 01:56:14 -0400 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Prensa Latina, Havana Cuba DIRECT FROM CUBA: DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH Tuesday, April 11, 2000 NICARAGUA'S FRAGILE SOCIAL STABILITY IN DANGER BY ALEJANDRO GOMEZ MANAGUA, Apr 11 (PL) Combat between the police and ex members of the Nicaraguan Resistance (counterrevolution) (NR) and possession of the Peruvian Embassy in Managua by 17 of the ex militia are threatening to crack Nicaragua's weak social stability. Repeated government failure to fulfill promises made in the 1990 peace agreements to the ex NR members, who agreed to demobilize troops in exchange for land, property titles and credit to cultivate, is the reason for the Nicaraguan crisis. Instead of negotiating, the government decided last week to repress those people, something considered very dangerous considering their antecedents, trained and supported by the US they put Nicaragua into civil war during the '80s. The use of antiriot police Thursday, to remove ex NR members from the streets they blocked, caused the death of one of them, wounded nine with 31 arrested, for which NR leaders blamed the president and stated their intention of not remaining with arms folded. The answer was not long in coming. Monday, NR ex militia jumped the fences of Peru's diplomatic seat in Managua to ask Peruvian Ambassador, Alfredo Arnaiz, for political asylum. The occupiers asserted they will not abandon the place until granted political asylum or the government decides to seriously negotiate to solve their land problems and the persecution they allege. In the afternoon, over 400 ex NR members blocked the crossroads to Boaco, Chontales department, over 80 kilometers east of Managua. When antiriot troops tried to remove them, there was a battle, leaving four police wounded and an undetermined number of ex militia and civilians wounded or affected by tear gas thrown by police special forces. With this, Nicaraguan authorities last night conceded, and President Arnoldo Aleman announced the creation of an Executive Committee to resolve ex NR members' property problems. In press statements, Aleman said some Cabinet officials form the committee with Monsignor Abelardo Mata, bishop of Esteli, and he expects NR leaders to name two representatives to immediately begin delivery of property titles. "My government has the will to resolve the NR brothers' problem. I call upon them (the ex militia) to ignore calls to disobedience and aggression between brothers. Sooner, rather than later, they will have their property titles", he said. Nevertheless, ex NR members' reaction is awaited who expressed their distrust of those affirmations, because of previous government non-fulfillment of promises. LPL/CCS (c) 2000, Prensa Latina, Havana, Cuba ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcamer-04.12.00-01:56:05-18740