Managua Paper Denounces Reagan’s Speech as ‘Growl of War’

The official government newspaper on Monday labeled President Reagan’s speech seeking support for $100 million in new aid for Nicaraguan contras a “growl of war.”

The speech was reported in Monday’s edition of the newspaper Barricada under the heading “Growl of War From Washington.”

“In a virulent exposition, Reagan repeated the calumnies always used against Nicaragua,” Barricada said.

Reagan, in a Sunday night speech, called Nicaragua’s leftist Sandinista government a malignancy that, if not stopped, would make Nicaragua “a second Cuba, a second Libya.”

Nicaraguan government officials did not immediately comment on Reagan’s statements.

Reagan, seeking to ignite public support for his request that Congress approve $100 million in arms and supplies to the rebels, emphasized that Nicaragua poses a “mortal threat” to U.S. security.

The official radio Voice of Nicaragua said: “The American people had to put up with 25 minutes of lies, slander and threatening insults.

“Reagan ignored both the international repudiation (of U.S. policy in Central America) and the strategic defeat already suffered by the contras.”

In the last year, government troops have held a decisive advantage over the contras, who have waged a five-year struggle to topple the government.

The Foreign Ministry deferred to a statement released in Washington by Nicaraguan Ambassador Carlos Tunnerman, who reiterated his country’s insistence on a negotiated settlement through talks with the Reagan Administration.