Nicaragua News Service September 12-17, 1994 Vol. 2, No 39 by Colleen Littlejohn Major news stories for the week: 1. Agriculture Minister claims immunity to avoid settling debts 2. Another bomb placed in Managua. 3. Costa Rica -- A step back from regional integration 4. Dora Maria Tellez elected head of Sandinista bench 5. Germany forgives 80% of Nicaragua's debt 6. Rice and oil still not distributed to drought victims 7. 61 kilos of cocaine captured in El Rama 8. Energy rationing increased 9. Government created office of urban titling ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Agriculture Minister claims immunity to avoid settling debts In the typical style of a government bureaucrat pledged to Dona Violeta's "revolution in honesty," the Minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rondon, who is also one of the country's most powerful cattle ranchers, decided to invoke governmental immunity in order to avoid having his farms and equipment actioned off. Rondon owes millions of cordobas (7.2/dollar) to the National Devolopment Bank, which recently embargoed his property for lack of payment. Rondon evoked Article 151 of the Nicaraguan Constitution which grants immunity from prosecution to high government officials. Rondon's actions were severely criticized by President Chamorro, who called on her Minister of the Presidency, Antonio Lacayo, to call Rondon and order him to give up his immunity. (Barricada, Sept. 14, 15) 2. Another bomb placed in Managua Last Tuesday night two unidentified persons placed the equivalent of two sticks of dynamite at the base of the statue of the unknown soldier, located in the old center of Managua, across from the Gonzalez movie theater. The explosion damaged a part of the foot of the statue. Several witnesses are being held for questioning. This is the third time in two months that public places or monuments have been attacked. (Barricada, Sept. 15) 3. Costa Rica - a step back from regional integration Once again, the government of Costa Rica has made it clear that as the "Switzerland" of Central America, it would rather not have much to do with its neighbors, especially that to the north, Nicaragua. Traditionally, during the 14th and 15th of September, celebrated as National Independence days by all of the Central American countries, a torch is passed by students running marathon relays across the borders and the torch is used to light ceremonial fires in each of the countries. Again, traditionally, the borders between countries are opened to allow the official delegations to be accompanied by family and friends. This year, the torch was received from Honduras and was to be passed via the border town of Penas Blancas to Costa Rica. Nevertheless, two days before the event the Costa Rican Ministry of Health forbade the entrance of any Nicaraguans on September 14th and 15th for health reasons, alleging that Nicaraguans could pass diseases over to their Costa Rican neighbors. As a result, the Nicaraguan education authorities decided not to pass the torch this year to Costa Rica and instead, the Foreign Minister will deliver a written note of protest to his Costa Rican counterpart. Ironically, just last month all the Central American presidents met in Limon, Costa Rica, and pledged to "go from words to actions" with respect to the Central American integration process. (Barricada, Sept. 15) 4. Dora Maria Tellez elected head of Sandinista bench A mojority of the Sandinista delegates to the National Assembly elected Dora Maria Tellez as chief of the FSLN delegation in that legislative body. Tellez was elected with 29 votes, while eight deputies voted against her and one abstained. The decision was taken after four hours of debate and is considered to be a new act of defiance to the Sandinista Assembly which days before had demanded that Daniel Ortega replace Sergio Ramirez in the National Assembly. The deputies that supported Daniel Ortega in the elections included Damaso Vargas, Gladys Baez, Nathan Sevilla and Francisco Rivera. The FSLN deputies voted to propose Leticia Herrera as the replacement for Sergio Ramirez on the commission that is studying the reforms of the present Constitution. They also voted to sue for libel the directors of the two radio stations Radio Ya and La Primerisima for accusing the members of having accepted bribes from Sergio Ramirez. Dora Maria Tellez also claimed that she has been receiving death threats throughout the week. The Assembly returns to session the week of September 19th, at which time Daniel Ortega will begin his legislative mandate and according to Ortega assume the leadership of the Sandinista delegation. Ortega will call for a national referendum to discuss the whole issue of constitutional reforms. (Barricada, Sept. 13) 5. Germany forgives 80% of Nicaragua's debt The governments of unified Germany and Nicaragua signed an agreement last week in which the German government condoned 80% of the debt owed to the extinct German Democratic Republic and 50% from the German Federal Republic. The debt renegotiated corresponded to a total of 183.8 million dollars. The rest of the debt will be renegotiated at the end of the year. (Barricada, Sept 13) 6. Rice and oil still not distributed to drought victims It is now perfectly clear that the European Union donation of rice and cooking oil, to be distributed via the Sandino Foundation (FACS), is clear of any contamination and the European Union has even paid a fine of over $6,000 dollars for allegedly delayed paperwork. But the government of Nicaragua has still not authorized the release from customs of the 2,341 tons of rice and 471 tons of cooking oil. The government is insisting that the FACS pay a tax on the total value of the donated goods. By law, Nicaraguan non-governmental agencies are not subject to such taxes. (Barricada, Sept. 13) 7. 61 kilos of cocaine captured in El Rama A shipment of 61 kilos of cocaine, with a Managua street value of over $360,000 dollars was captured last week in Rama, a town located at the end of the San Benito - Rama highway which links the Pacific region of the country to Bluefields on the Atlantic via water travel on the Escondido River. The shipment came from Barranquila, Colombia, via the island of San Andres (occupied by Colombia but claimed by Nicaragua) and then to Bluefields where it was transboarded to Rama. This is the first major capture on a route which the Colombian cartels are supposedly trying to establish for shipping cocaine to the north. (Barricada, Sept. 17) 8. Energy rationing increased Earlier hopes that energy rationing would be cut to two hours daily as of September 15th, were dashed this week when the Nicaraguan Energy Institute, INE, announced that in fact rationing would be increased to up to eight hours daily in some sectors because of maintenance problems in one of the major plants, coupled with the fact that sufficient rain still had not fallen in the north of Jinotega at the site of the Apanas hydroelectric complex. Emilio Rappaccioli, the Minister-Director of INE declared that the rationing may go on until January 1995. (Barricada, Sept. 17) 9. Government created office to title urban property Last week the government, via Presidential Decree Number 39-94 created the Office of Urban Titles which will be the office in charge of giving out titles to the beneficiaries of laws number 85 and 86 passed in 1990 before the change of government of that year. Enrique Picado, National Coordinator of the Nicaraguan Community Movement was present at the ceremonies and declared that the establishment of the office was "a positive step for the country's stability" and that "it will be a guarantee that now no one would be kicking these families out of their houses or off their lots." The OTU will be under the Ministry of Finance and should be ready to begin operations within thirty days. (Barricada, Sept. 14)