Nicaragua News Service April 10-16, 1994 Vol. 2, No. 15 by Colleen Littlejohn Major news stories for the week: 1. Property issue literally heats up. 2. "El Tigre" deported from US 3. Meeting of Sandinista Assembly -- Congress debate begins 4. Final negotiations on IMF agreement 5. National Assembly and the Executive mend fences 6. Latest on Ministry of Government -- nationalized citizens 7. Honduras to guard its border against irregulars 8. Hertylandia - the Nica version of Disneyland 9. Nicaragua to census population ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Property issue literally heats up. Two apartments were destroyed and four others badly damaged when 180 paid thugs, accompanied by a judge from Managua tried to execute an eviction order against the inhabitants of an apartment complex, in favor of the previous owner, Frutos Chamorro. Six families have lived in the apartments for over 10 years, renting them from the city government of Managua until the end of 1990 and claim that they are protected under the law number 85. During the assault, the thugs broke into the apartments and began to fire weapons and then proceeded to spill gasoline around and throw matches. Two apartments were totally destroyed, including that of Pablo Emilio Barreto, a reporter for Barricada who has been covering the problem of the evictions which has been affecting hundreds of people over the last few months. Earlier that week a smaller group of persons had tried to kick out the families but faced a larger number of people, members of a neighborhood solidarity brigade, who forced the band to retreat. The police are reportedly looking for Frutos Chamorro with an arrest order. The actions of the judge are also being studied with a view to possible disbarment for allowing her companions to incite violence. The National Assembly recently passed a law suspending evictions for six months and including penalties against judges who ignore the law. President Chamorro has not yet signed the bill into law. (Barricada 4-15) 2. "El Tigre" deported from US Javier Manuel Velazquez Rojas, also known as the "Tiger" was deported from the United States to Nicaragua to face charges for the killing of Sub-Commandant Saul Alvarez, of the Nicaraguan police force during a National transport strike towards the end of 1993. Before leaving the US, after having decided not to fight the extradition, Velazquez gave a notarized statement in whicx he denied the charges. When the prisoner arrived on the daily NICA flight, the airport was completely militarized and Velasquez was driven immediately to see the head of the National Police, Fernando Caldera. He was late transferred to one of the criminal courts of Managua, where he testified that he had received his weapon from Roberto Gonzalez, General Secretary of the Federation of Transport Workers and one of the leaders of the transport strike last year. Velasquez also stated that he joined the strike at the recommendation of Daniel Ortega, citing that the FSLN leader had told all Sandinista militants to support the strike. Velaquez's statements have led many to suspect that some kind of deal may have been made in Miami before his extradition, especially considering the tense political situation and the fact that both the Sandinista Labor Federation (CST) and the FSLN are in intense pre-Congress debates in the period leading up to the FSLN Extraordinary Congress scheduled for May 20-22. The plot thickened when, days after Velaquez's testimony, Roberto Gonzalez complained that his jeep was fired upon near the National Autonomous University. It is not clear at this point exactly what happened and if the alleged assault can be pointed to the Velazquez case or to other motives. (Barricada, 4-14, 4-15) 3. Meeting of Sandinista Assembly -- Congress debate begins The Sandinista Assembly, the highest decision making body of the FSLN, met last week to discuss not only whether to support the government over the signing of the ESAF agreement with the IMF, but also to lay some ground rules for the upcoming FSLN Congress in May. The vote against the ESAF was relatively easy, compared to the following discussion on rules, procedures and possible candidates. One of the results of the Assembly meeting, was that rumors that had been coming out in La Prensa for several days now began to be discussed in the Sandinista media. The "Pekin Guerrero" group, more known as the Sandinista Left, are basically supporting an alliance between Tomas Borge and Daniel Ortega, where Borge would be President of the party and Ortega would remain as Secretary General with Henry Ruiz as Vice Secretary General. The group also supports a National Directorate of 15 members, in total. The group "of the majorities" which is nominally headed by former Vice-President Sergio Ramirez has made it known that they would support Henry Ruiz, present treasurer and Secretary of International Relations of the FSLN, as Secretary General, although it is not clear if Ruiz would accept a nomination. His name has been mentioned quite frequently lately as a candidate that could bring unity to the party. Another possible candidate for the "majorities group" is Doris Tijerino. Tomas Borge, only living founding member of the FSLN had virtually launched himself as candidate for the presidency of the party the weekend before the Assembly meeting, stating at a meeting with party militants in Leon that that he would like to continue being one of the leaders of the FSLN. The Sandinista Assembly was unable to come to a consensus about certain rules and procedures for the Congress. Discussions will continue throughout the next few weeks as each region in Nicaragua is host to a FSLN caucus to discuss positions for the May event. (Barricada, 4-11, 4-14) 4. Final negotiations on IMF agreement With the extradition of Javier Velasquez and the attack on the house of a Barricada reporter, news of the impending signing of the IMF agreement with Nicaragua practically disappeared from the front pages of Nicaraguan newspapers last week. On Tuesday, April 12th, Barricada ran an article in which they reported that the Sandinista Assembly, in their meeting last week, voted against supporting the agreement - 53 against the agreement and 29 in favor. Daniel Ortega stated that the FSLN "has not denied the need for a stabilization and adjustment program but that they have pointed out that the country must have certain political and administrative policies that take into account the special situation of the country." He went on to add that the party had pointed out the "continuing danger that is represented by the cuts in social spending, the lack of production financing, high interests rates and the lack of protection for local industry." Minister of Finance, Emilio Pereira, warned earlier in the week that the exchange rate cordoba to dollar would rise from 6-1 to 24-1 if the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) were not signed. He also warned that not signing would lean a new black market in currency and that "there would probably be lines to buy toilet paper," bringing up one of the most horrible memories of the Nicaraguan upper classes with respect to the economic difficulties of the Sandinista years. Meanwhile, toward the end of the week, Minister of the Presidency Antonio Lacayo continued to insist that the ESAF was good for the country in a meeting with the right-wing business group COSEP, the Union of Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG), private banks, and some ex-UNO party leaders to discuss the final draft of the ESAF agreements negotiated with the IMF. Lacayo claimed that 84,000 new jobs would be created, of which 70% would be permanent. At the end of the week, the President of the Nicaraguan Central Bank sent a letter of intent to the IMF offices in Washington to begin the formal proceeding for the signing of the ESAF in early June. (Barricada, 4-11) 5. National Assembly and the Executive mend fences The less than cordial situation between the Executive branch and the National Assembly was alleviated to a certain extent last week after a meeting with between Antonio Lacayo, and Luis Humberto Guzman, president of the National Assembly, accompanied by other National Assembly leaders of the various power groups. The two announced that President Chamorro will sign the "Law of Reforms to the Constitution" which will enable the National Assembly to complete the process of constitutional reform in one session, instead of the two now required by the present Constitution. The executive office also denied that they were trying to tie the hands of the legislature with respect to the signing of the ESAF agreement with the IMF and assured that the announcement by the Minister of Finances that the President would veto the not even passed Labor Code if it were contrary to the agreement, was "only the opinion of one section of the cabinet." The Executive and the National Assembly have also disagreed on which branch of the government has the authority to make law on questions of tax matters. Both sides agreed that, in the interim period before the passing of Constitutional reforms, the Presidency will propose tax initiatives which will be sent, discussed and passed (or not) by the National Assembly. (Barricada, 4-12) 6. Latest on Ministry of Government -- nationalized citizens Two cases in which the Nicaraguan government has arbitrarily taken away citizenship from naturalized citizens were again in the news last week. The first had to to with the case of Alessio Cassimirri, Nicaraguan-Italian, and owner of a popular pizza parlor in Managua. Cassimirri is wanted for questioning for his former membership in the Italian political-military organization, the Red Brigades, and is accused of participation in the murder of Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro. At the request of Italian security forces, the Nicaraguan government stripped Cassimirri of his Nicaraguan citizenship and were ready to deport him, but Cassimirri had already gone into hiding. Last week the Supreme Court agreed to hear his case and immediately suspended the decision of the Ministry of Government to cancel his citizenship. The other case had to do with Javier Maria Larreaategui, one of the three Basque nationalists, naturalized Nicaraguans, who were summarily deported to Spain after the Santa Rosa arms cache explosion last year in May. None of the 3 deported were ever tied to the Santa Rosa incident, but were deported nevertheless, after having been stripped of their Nicaraguan citizenship. Larreategui was then put on trial in Spain, but found innocent last week. Dr. Vilma Nunez, of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH), upon learning of the verdict, stated that her organization will once again ask President Chamorro to remove Alfredo Mendieta, Minister of Government, from office on the grounds that he deliberately violated Nicaraguan law and the human rights of three nationalized Nicaraguans. Sources close to the Minister said that his main advisors had advised him not to expel the three. (Barricada 4-12) 7. Honduras to guard its border against irregulars General Luis Alonso Discua, head of the Honduran army, ordered his troops to guard the Nicaragua-Honduras border this week and to respond "with force" against any provocation from Nicaraguan recontra groups. Days earlier, two recontras and one Honduran soldier were killed in skirmishes on the border. An army spokesman stated that the Nicaraguans who had entered the country "were delinquents, ex-soldiers of the contra that hid their arms here after their demobilization in 1990." The Honduran army accused the recontra of continuing to murder peasants, rape women and rob and assault in Honduran border communities. The Nicaraguan army is to join its counterpart for joint border patrol missions. (Barricada, 4-11) 8. Hertylandia - the Nica version of Disneyland Despite the fact that he expects a lot of criticism from his colleagues in the Sandinista Assembly, Herty Lewites, member of the National Assembly and former Minister of Tourism under the Sandinista government, announced that his amusement complex, Hertylandia, will be open for business at the end of the month. The complex, financed in part by a loan from the Central American Integration Bank's program to build tourism in the region, is located in Lewites home town of Jinotepe. The complex, over 55 acres large, includes such attractions as a motorcycle track, an artificial lake equipped with bumper boats and a small zoo. "I am going to demonstrate to all the rich people here (in Nicaragua) that it is necessary to invest in Nicaragua and not keep their money outside in foreign banks." He also added that he would rather be criticized for doing something instead of for doing nothing. "They also criticized me when we were building Montelimar and the other recreation centers such as Pochomil, and look, they are all successes." 9. Nicaragua to census population 14,000 census takers will participate, as of November 1 of this year, in the first Nicaraguan census taken since 1971, according to government plans. Total financing, nevertheless, has not yet been found for the endeavor.