1,000 in Irvine Join Multination Event Honoring Contadora Work

About 1,000 Orange County residents sacrificed a crucial day of Christmas shopping to take part in a multinational awards ceremony Sunday, honoring four countries that have attempted to resolve war in Central America.

During the two-hour celebration for peace, sponsored by the Palo Alto-based Beyond War Foundation, the presidents of Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Panama blasted U.S involvement in Nicaragua and said that peace in Central America is possible only if the nations involved in the conflicts are allowed to solve their own problems.

“We must be left alone,” said Dr. Jaime Lusinchi, president of Venezuela, as the crowd in the Irvine Hilton cheered. “We Latin Americans are able to solve our own problems. . . . We are in favor of the self-determination of the people. . . . We believe in negotiated solutions and international law.”

The Orange County contingent was able to hear Lusinchi’s words live Sunday afternoon, for the ceremony linked more than 160 cities by satellite in a truly international celebration of peace.

Connected Live

Nine cities--Los Angeles; Boston; San Francisco; Des Moines, Iowa; Denver, and the capitals of the four nations receiving the awards--were connected live by an intricate network of satellite dishes and video screens.

Irvine was one of 157 other cities chosen as broadcast sites, where audiences watched, cheered and cried with emotion as the awards ceremony was beamed into ballrooms and auditoriums in the United States and Canada. In addition, celebration spokesmen said, the program was broadcast live throughout Central and South America, bringing the total audience up to an estimated 20 million.

Those watching in Irvine did not begrudge the lost shopping day--one of only 11 left in the final mad dash before Christmas.

“First things first,” said Margaret Coston, 62, of Placentia. “I think it’s timely this weekend, with the national news we’ve been hearing. We need to hear people with answers other than guns.”

Holding Congressman’s Brother

The awards ceremony came as President Reagan’s popularity hit an all-time low in the wake of the emerging scandal over his Administration’s involvement in arms sales to Iran and the diversion of $10 million to $30 million in sales profits to the contras . It also came on the day that Nicaraguan officials said they are holding a U.S. congressman’s brother for possible espionage charges after arresting him for trespassing at the country’s largest air base with a military map in his sock.

The irony was not lost Sunday on the audiences or award recipients.

“I have been very much taken aback as a member of the Contadora group because there has been an absurd series of imprudent steps taken in Central America in recent weeks,” Lusinchi told the cheering crowds. “If there are interventions from other sides, peace will not be possible.”

Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid was equally blunt in stressing that Central American countries should be the ones to work toward solutions of Central American conflicts: “We believe the fundamental responsibility corresponds to the nations and governments in Central America. If we allow them to meet without outside interference, I’m sure they can achieve peace.”

Alluding to U.S. support for the contra rebels fighting the Sandinista government in Nicaragua, Colombian President Virgilio Barco said: “The Contadora group has respectfully stated that it is the countries of Central America themselves that have the responsibility for resolving their conflicts. (It) believes that no state can usurp that. (It) cannot support groups or nations that seek to destabilize governments.”

3-Year Effort

It was the Contadora group--a coalition of officials from Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela--that received the 1986 Beyond War Award for its three-year effort bring peace to Central America.

Sunday’s award was the fourth given by the foundation, which currently has chapters in about 30 states. A similar ceremony in 1985 attracted 600 local peace activists to the Irvine Hilton.

Like last year, Sunday’s crowd was a diverse collection of ages and backgrounds. But the crowd--like the Beyond War Foundation--shared a common belief, that peace is not only possible, but necessary.

“I’m a firm believer in what they are trying to do,” said Rolf Seckelson, 78, of Laguna Hills. “And I want to help in any way I can.”