Nicaragua News Service
                          July 9 - 15, 1995
                            Vol. 3, No. 29
                         by Coleen Littlejohn
 
Major news stories for the week: 
 
1.  Cooperative movement affected by economic policies.
2.  Arnoldo Aleman named candidate of the Liberals.
3.  National Police practically declares bankruptcy.
4.  General Cuadra to attend military summit in USA.
5.  Nicaragua doctor to be sued by Ministry of Health.
6.  OOT to review property situation again.
7.  Situation at "La Fosforera" almost normal.
8.  First results from National Census released.
9.  Church bombings continue.
10. Pope announces visit.
11. Old Managua cathedral to be repaired.
 
1.  Cooperative movement affected by economic policies.
 
Over one half of the 3,500 agricultural and agroindustrial 
cooperatives that existed in 1987 no longer exist, according to 
Sinforiano Caceres, one of the chief leaders of the Nicaraguan 
Cooperative Federation (FENACOOP).  Many have sold all or part of 
their land, or have been invaded by third parties, lost land to the 
banks or have merged with other cooperatives.  Caceres cited three 
principal reasons for the problems within the cooperative movement:  
1) pressure from former land owners; 2) lack of political will on the 
part of the government to grant land titles for the over 680,000 acres 
that are still not legalized; and 3) lack of credit for planting and 
other investment.  
 
Caceres blamed the government for channeling most credit and foreign 
aid to large farmers, not because of lack of experience on the part of 
the small and medium farmers but due to the connections that the 
larger farmers have in the government.  He also stated that the 
cooperative movement was undergoing changes in strategies in order to 
create a more decentralized movement with cooperatives adopting 
complementary functions such as some specializing in marketing and 
some functioning as small rural banks. (Barricada, July  10)
 
2. Arnoldo Aleman named candidate of the Liberals.
 
It came as no big surprise last week that Arnoldo Aleman was nominated 
as the presidential candidate of the Liberal Alliance--all the 
Liberals except for the Independent Liberal Party (PLI) of Virgilio 
Godoy, current vice-president--for the elections to be held in 1996.  
Aleman is the first to announce his candidacy.
 
Meanwhile, within the circles of the "National Project" founded in 
April by Minister of the Presidency Antonio Lacayo and other 
government ministers, other names besides that of Lacayo are being 
mentioned for the presidential candidacy including Ernesto Leal, 
current Foreign Minister and Rivas Sinclair, current head of the 
Nicaraguan Municipal Institute (INIFOM).


3.  National Police practically declares bankruptcy.
 
Last week the economic crisis affecting Nicaragua's public sector 
seemed to come to a head when National Police head Fernando Caldera, 
stated that his forces did not have enough money to continue to 
capture delinquents and the head of the Nicaraguan Penitentiary 
System, Marcelino Guido, declared that there was only room in 
Nicaragua's prison system for about a dozen or so more prisoners.  
 
Meanwhile, over 6,500 prisoners are being held in subhuman conditions.  
Guido declared that the problem is the responsibility of the judicial 
system, since over 54% of those imprisoned are awaiting trial.
 
Caldera practically declared bankruptcy and stated that the National 
Police has a budget deficit of over $900,000 and that they may have to 
shut down before the end of the year because of lack of funds.  
Caldera stated that the police must attend daily to the needs of over 
2,500 prisoners when the actual capacity of existing jails is for only 
1,900.  He added that there is only money to feed 1,400 prisoners.  
Many of those being held are minors.
 
Nicaragua has a total of 393 jails of which 50% have no ventilation or 
adequate lighting and 21% have no bathrooms. The Ministry of Health 
has recommended that jails in Esteli, Carazo, Chontales and Jinotega 
be closed because of the possibility of spreading infectious diseases.
 
Meanwhile, rates of violent crimes are rising.  Daily the police 
receive reports of more than 34 robberies, most of them by subjects 
who are armed and violent.
 
Both the head of the police and the prison system were verbally 
reprimanded by the Ministry of Governance for going public with the 
crisis. (Barricada, July 11, 12)
 
4.  General Cuadra to attend military summit in USA.
 
General Joaquin Cuadra, head of the Nicaraguan Army, will lead the 
national delegation attending a summit meeting of Western Hemisphere
Defense Ministers beginning July 23rd in Virginia. Thirty-two Defense 
Ministers have confirmed their participation in the meeting which is 
being convened by the US government to discuss, among other things, 
human rights, drug trafficking and international cooperation.  The 
Ministers will also receive a crash course in human rights to be 
taught by a "high official of the US army."
 
The actual Minister of Defense in Nicaragua since 1990 is President 
Chamorro but she has delegated her participation in the summit to 
General Cuadra.  
 
According to Lieutenant Colonel George Lennon, spokesperson for the US 
Department of Defense, only Haiti and Guatemala have not confirmed 
their participation.  According to Lennon, logistical problems are 
what is holding back the Guatemalans, not, he stated, their fear of 
being accused of human rights violations.  "They are very conscious of 
the accusations against them.  They are extremely frustrated in the 

sense that each time they feel that things are advancing, a new story 
appears."  Lennon also stated that "We too have accidents in our 
history where the military have gotten out of control - it will be a 
great opportunity to analyze them." (Barricada, July 11)
 
5.  Nicaragua doctor to be sued by Ministry of Health.
 
The Nicaraguan Attorney General's office will file charges against 
gynecologist Dr. Rafael Cabrera for injury and slander, at the request 
of Minister of Health Marta Palacios.  Cabrera has stated repeatedly 
that the anti-tetanus vaccines used by the Minister of Health contain 
a substance that causes infertility in women.   Cabrera's accusations 
received echo and support from Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo and, as a 
result, thousands of women are not going to their local health centers 
to be vaccinated.
 
The Minister of Health stated that she will present evidence that the 
vaccines do not contain any such element and added that the law suit 
will continue until Dr. Cabrera retracts his statement.  The same 
proof was also presented to Cardinal Obando during a personal meeting 
with Palacios.  Obando is now saying that since the suspected vaccines 
have been taken off the market, he would encourage people to again be 
vaccinated.  It is assumed that Obando will support Cabrera, who is an 
outspoken critic of abortion. (Barricada,  July 11)
 
6.  OOT to review property situation again
 
Those beneficiaries of the Sandinista property laws 85 and 86 (which 
refer to urban properties) who have not presented their papers to the 
Office of Territory Ordering (OOT), have another chance to do so 
between July 17th and August 31st of this year.
  
This revision affects those who live in houses of less than 100 square 
meters in size and who were living in them as of February 25th, 1990, 
and did not own another property at the time. (Barricada,  July 11)
 
7.  Situation at "La Fosforera" almost normal.
 
The National Momotombo Match Factory, also known as "La Fosforera," 
will resume production this week of their normal 1 million matchboxes 
per month and try to recuperate the local match market which has been 
covered by Central American imports during the last seven months.  
 
The factory at this stage is being supervised by two mediators who 
will be in charge until the different share holders, including the 
workers, come to an agreement.  Workers will be paid back salaries but 
over a longer period of time in order not to strain the company which 
must now regain the confidence of local consumers and bankers.  The 
company will also request that the government begin again to charge 
import duties on imported matches, a measure that was canceled when 
the company closed down production seven months ago. (Barricada, July 
15)
 
8.  First results from National Census released.
 
The first preliminary figures from the first census conducted in 

Nicaragua in twenty four years were released last week by the 
Nicaraguan Institute for Census and Statistics (INEC).  According to 
Vice-Minister of Economy and Development Enrique Brenes,  Nicaragua 
has a population of 3,896,418 persons and a total of 684,359 
households.  Of the total population, 1,739,445 are under 15 years of 
age which is 55.36% of the population.  Figures are as yet still 
preliminary due to the fact that the area of Waslala in the 6th region 
has not yet been counted. (La Prensa, July 14th)
 
9.  Church bombings continue.
 
A special commission has been formed to investigate the rash of church 
bombings that have been occurring over the last three  months in 
Nicaragua. The Office of Intelligence, under the supervision of 
Minister of Governance Sergio Narvaez, will coordinate the 
investigation which will involve the National Police and the Office of 
Defense Intelligence.  
 
A total of nine churches have been bombed in the last three months.
 
Narvaez announced that the capture of those responsible is the number 
one priority of Nicaraguan law enforcement agencies.  He said the 
government will come up with the $400,000 from the police budget 
(which is in deficit) in order to guarantee a climate of security 
which will promote investment and economic stability. According to 
police, the bombings are the work of professionals who leave no clues, 
nor have there been any witnesses.  The Catholic Church has officially 
expressed its concern to the government.  Tomas Borge, representing 
the FSLN, also expressed concern over the bombings.  Borge, in an 
informal visit to Mons. Eddy Montenegro, Vicar of the Diocese of 
Managua and spokesperson for Cardinal Obando y Bravo, said he was 
particularly concerned because "certain political sectors are 
interested in blaming the FSLN." (Barricada, July 15)
 
10. Pope announces visit.
 
Despite news of church bombings, Pope John Paul II has confirmed his 
visit to Nicaragua for this coming February.  He will also visit 
several other Central American countries.  At least two Papal missions 
will visit Nicaragua before February to set up his trip and try to 
ensure that the problems which marred his last trip in March of 1993 
are not repeated.  (La Prensa, July 15)
 
11.  Old Managua cathedral to be repaired.
 
According to renowned Spanish architect Jose Luis de Miguel, the 
Managua cathedral ruined in the 1972 earthquake can be repaired and 
used as part of a cultural center planned for what is for some the 
Plaza of the Revolution and for others the Plaza of the Republic.  
Dr. de Miguel came to Nicaragua at the request of the King of Spain to 
investigate the possibility of restoring the cathedral. He said that 
since the cathedral has withstood the last 25 years it can probably 
stand up for another 25 more.  
 
Local experts are not so sure of De Miguel's conclusions, but it looks 
like the Spanish government will finance the restoration as well as 

the remodeling of the Plaza.  The National Palace, with Japanese 
financial assistance, has been undergoing an overhaul and face-lift and 
will open late this year as the new National Museum. (La Prensa, July 
14th)