U.S. Mildly Praises Ortega’s Offer of Indirect Negotiations

The United States on Friday gave some mild and carefully qualified praise to the announcement by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega that his government will hold indirect cease-fire negotiations with the U.S.-backed Contras.

“This announcement . . . can be considered a genuine step towards national reconciliation if it means the Sandinistas are prepared for real, good-faith negotiations,” State Department spokesman Charles Redman said. “ . . . There were some positive-sounding steps. There were also some other measures which were couched in rather vague language.”

U.S. officials “will be watching very closely to see what develops and to see if these (Ortega’s) words are translated into actions,” Redman added.

In a nationally televised speech Thursday, Ortega told a rally of Sandinista supporters that his government is willing to negotiate a cease-fire with the Contras through intermediaries.

Ortega’s speech Thursday represented an abrupt reversal of policy. In the past, the Nicaraguan government had always refused to talk with the Contra leadership, insisting instead on negotiations with the United States, which supports the Contras.

Thursday was the first deadline for the multifaceted peace plan sponsored by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez and signed by five Central American governments in Guatemala three months ago. The agreement calls on all Central American governments to work toward a cease-fire, political dialogue, democratic reforms and amnesty for political prisoners.

In his speech in Managua, Ortega also said he will immediately pardon 1,000 political prisoners accused of aiding the Contras. He refused to grant amnesty to the approximately 2,500 members of the National Guard who were imprisoned after the Sandinistas came to power in 1979.

However, Redman said at a State Department briefing Friday, “It’s still clear from what he (Ortega) said that Nicaragua is far from being in compliance with the Guatemala plan.”

In particular, Redman belittled Ortega’s amnesty proposal. “We estimate that there are between 8,000 and 10,000 political prisoners in Nicaragua at present. . . . He (Ortega) seems to tie amnesty to other things being done in the region.”

“I guess the most one could say, again, is that this certainly doesn’t comply with what the Guatemala accord called for in any case,” he added. The Arias plan, Redman noted, “calls for a full amnesty.”

On Capitol Hill, Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, praised Ortega for taking a politically difficult step on behalf of the Arias plan. “His announcement clearly underlines that the cause of peace has priority in Nicaragua,” he said.