Ex-Envoy Says U.S. Is Seeking Military Answer in Nicaragua
A U.S. ambassador ousted from his post in Central America was quoted Friday as saying that the Reagan Administration seeks a military solution to its dispute with Nicaragua, despite a vow to negotiate.
Career diplomat John Ferch, fired last month as ambassador to Honduras, told Newsday in an interview that the Administration should be pushing hard for negotiations but is letting time slip away.
As a result, $100 million in U.S. aid for rebels against Nicaragua’s Sandinista government will be just a “down payment,” Ferch told the New York newspaper. “The logic of it all means that the next stage is an expanded military operation.”
In response, State Department spokesman Bernard Kalb said: “The U.S. government does not seek a military solution to Nicaragua. . . . Military pressure against the Sandinistas is necessary to achieve meaningful negotiations and the Sandinista concessions necessary for reaching peace. . . .”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
