U.S. Tries to Curb Role of Largest Contra Group

The Reagan Administration has joined forces with relatively moderate Nicaraguan rebel leaders to attempt to reduce the power of the largest and most conservative rebel group, the Nicaraguan Democratic Force (FDN), U.S. and contra officials said Wednesday.

But the FDN, led by Adolfo Calero, is resisting any move to end its domination of the rebel effort, they said.

The struggle for control of the contra movement is important because it is almost certain to shape the future course of the revolt against Nicaragua’s leftist Sandinista regime. Equally important, the struggle is likely to have a significant impact in Congress, where renewed funding for the guerrillas will be debated this spring.

Undermines Credibility

What is at stake is more than a question of which individuals control the contras’ movement. The Administration fears that dominance by the FDN undermines the credibility of the contras’ claim to be a democratic alternative for Nicaragua--both because smaller, more moderate factions would be relegated to the sidelines and because some members of the group’s leadership were supporters of the regime of fallen dictator Anastasio Somoza.

The contra coalition, which was organized under pressure from the Administration in an attempt to give the rebels a credible political leadership, has been split by serious quarrels for months. Last week, one of the coalition’s three directors, Arturo Cruz, told associates that he has decided to resign because of the FDN’s insistence on dominating the alliance.

Pressure to Stay

Calero and other contra officials said Wednesday, however, that they hope that Cruz can be persuaded to stay on, and sources close to Cruz said he is reconsidering his decision to quit.

“We will respect his decision, whatever it may be, but we hope that Mr. Cruz will stay in his position,” Calero told a news conference.

Cruz has complained that Calero has blocked him from organizing political support, meeting with guerrillas and reviewing FDN financial records. Calero dismissed the charges as unfounded.

“He hasn’t been denied any access,” Calero said. “Access to our financial records is very easy. . . . We plan to release them to the appropriate authorities.”

The contra official who acts as coordinator of the contra alliance, Leonardo Somarriba, said the dispute was “a serious problem” for the rebel movement.

“The problem is perceived (by Cruz) at the level of an attitude (on the part of the FDN), not these specific issues,” Somarriba said.

Role of FDN

An Administration official, who refused to be quoted by name, acknowledged that the Calero-Cruz conflict boils down to an issue of the FDN’s dominant role.

“What we need is a solid commitment to an open political structure,” the official said.

As an initial step, Calero and the Administration have agreed that the rebel leadership should be reorganized to include a broader range of figures opposed to the Sandinista regime. But contra officials said the thorny issue of who will win seats in the leadership has not been resolved.

“It is fundamental to broaden, as a first step, the political base of the resistance leadership,” Calero said.

“If we are able to start a process of implementing the things Cruz has been asking for . . . there is a reasonable chance that he may stay in--but only under completely changed circumstances, a restructuring,” said Somarriba, who has been largely neutral in the internal conflict.

Political Harm

He said one problem with the current three-man leadership is that it was essentially chosen by the Administration to help promote its request for aid in Congress. “Precisely because there has been a great deal of U.S. involvement in this thing, it has done us a lot of political harm,” Somarriba said.

Calero also told reporters that the FDN has increased its military activity in the last two months with the help of U.S. military aid, sending 6,000 guerrillas into Nicaragua from their bases in neighboring Honduras.