Shultz Spurns Ortega Call for Direct Talks With U.S. : Nicaraguan Fearful of U.S. Stunt

Secretary of State George P. Shultz today spurned Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s proposal for direct peace talks with the United States as the White House rejected objections in Congress to the Administration’s 60-day deadline for acceptance of its Central American peace initiative.

Later, Ortega, arriving in Guatemala City for a summit of five Central American presidents, responded to Shultz by saying that refusal by the United States to negotiate directly with his government would make President Reagan’s new peace initiative “a publicity stunt.” He reiterated his call for direct talks between Managua and Washington.

Meeting reporters at the State Department, Shultz said:

“I think it is critical to establish that there is no way the United States would want to sit down with Nicaragua to decide what is right for Central America. That has to be done by all the Central American countries.”

But Shultz did not reject Ortega’s proposal outright, saying that the United States is willing to talk to all the countries involved.

He added that the United States would exercise that option only if it would help the goal of a regional solution to Central America’s problems. In that sense, Shultz said, the United States is hoping that progress can be made in the peace conference of Central American presidents that began today in Guatemala.

At the White House, presidential spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said the Administration would not budge from its 60-day deadline for the Nicaraguan government to initiate a cease-fire and democratic reforms.

Time-Limit Complaints

A number of lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) have complained that the Administration’s time limit is unrealistic.

But Fitzwater said the Administration would not budge on the timing, which coincides with the expiration of current U.S. financing of the contras.

He said the question of the deadline was raised by a number of Democratic senators in a meeting today with Reagan and Shultz.

“Both the President and Secretary Shultz emphasized that we think the deadline is realistic and one that represents a position that we must stick with as we enter this negotiating process,” Fitzwater said.

Also today, the White House acknowledged that it has differences with House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.), the key architect of the plan, over the interpretation of certain points, such as how long President Reagan will refrain from using tough rhetoric in appealing for aid for the contra rebels.

Fitzwater said it is the President’s position to give Ortega two weeks to accept the U.S. offer or Reagan will resume his hard-line appeal for the contras. Wright had objected to that, Fitzwater said.

“The two-week question is under discussion with the Speaker so there’s no resolution on that issue,” Fitzwater said. He said the Administration had drawn up an internal document with 21 points of interpretation on language in the peace initiative but would not make the material public.