Nicaragua Peace Talks Delayed as Each Side Blames the Other

Top-level cease-fire talks between the Sandinista government and the rebels that were scheduled to start today in southern Nicaragua have been postponed.

The leftist Sandinista government accused the U.S.-backed Contras of pulling out suddenly Tuesday under pressure from Washington. However, the Contras said Managua tried to rush the plans for the meeting to make them appear reluctant to negotiate.

Joao Baena Soares, secretary general of the Organization of American States, had already arrived in Managua on Tuesday morning to serve as an observer at the invitation of the government when he learned that the discussions would not take place.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega first proposed on March 2 to hold the session today in the border town of Sapoa. He named his brother, Defense Minister Gen. Humberto Ortega, to lead the government delegation for what would be the first direct negotiation at the highest level inside Nicaragua between the two warring sides.

Contra leaders, reached Tuesday by telephone in Miami, complained that Deputy Foreign Minister Victor Hugo Tinoco called them for the first time Monday night to finalize details for the encounter. The Contras asked for a meeting in Costa Rica as soon as possible to work out the logistics and agenda for a new round of talks.

“We are committed to the continuation of the negotiating process,” Contra spokesman Bosco Matamoros said in Washington.

However, Ortega rejected the Contras’ proposal for talks in Costa Rica, saying it would “kill the possibilities for a high-level meeting.” He said the government will set a date for a new round, “without any preconditions,” in Sapoa next week, at the latest.