7 Opposition Leaders Freed by Nicaragua : U.S. Calls Concessions by Ortega a Ploy to Influence Contra Vote

The leftist Sandinista government today released seven prominent opposition leaders who were accused of plotting actions with the Contra rebels, the Interior Ministry said.

They had been arrested beginning late Friday in connection with a government investigation of an alleged CIA operation.

On Saturday, the government promised to lift the country’s 6-year-old state of emergency as part of its compliance with the Central American peace plan.

Among the seven released today were Alberto Saborio, president of the Nicaraguan Bar Assn., and Mario Rappaccioli, vice president of the Nicaraguan Democratic Coordinate, the main opposition political group.

Met Resistance Leaders

At least five of those detained had been in Guatemala early last week to meet with the leadership of the Nicaraguan Resistance, an umbrella organization for the U.S.-backed Contras.

The five were among 11 named by the Interior Ministry as under investigation for their role in an alleged “plan . . . produced by the CIA . . . to cause conspiratorial and terrorist actions” against Nicaragua.

One of those freed, Agustin Jarquin Anaya of the Social Christian Party, told a news conference the arrests were “a grave error of the Sandinista government and a contradiction of President Daniel Ortega’s signing of the new agreements at the summit of Central American presidents in Costa Rica.”

Detainees Not Abused

He said the detainees had not been abused, but their interrogators took “hard positions.”

In Washington, a top State Department official today dismissed peace concessions by Ortega as a ploy to defeat an upcoming congressional vote on additional aid to the Contra rebels.

Before the weekend summit meeting of Central American leaders in Costa Rica, American officials had predicted that Ortega would make concessions but he went further than anticipated in agreeing to lift the state of emergency and to hold direct talks with Contra leaders for the first time. He also promised to release thousands of political prisoners if the cease-fire talks succeed.

Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams said Nicaraguan officials cannot be trusted to implement the promises they made.

‘What Is the Purpose?’

“They could have done this anytime over the last eight years. . . . Two weeks before the vote on Capitol Hill, they make more promises. What is the purpose of it? It seems very clear the purpose is to win that vote,” Abrams said on “CBS This Morning.”

To the extent that Nicaragua has shown an interest in a negotiated settlement, it is the result of military pressure applied by the Contras, Abrams said, suggesting that ending Contra aid would give the Sandinistas no incentive to continue the peace process.

The Administration will make a formal request to the Congress for more aid on Jan. 26.