But Military Chief Warns That Rebels Can Fight On : Key Contra Leader Vows to Back Truce

Despite continued reservations, the top Contra military commander Wednesday pledged full adherence to the cease-fire agreement with the Sandinista government of Nicaragua, but he warned that his 17,000 troops “are in good condition to continue the war” if upcoming negotiations for a more durable truce fail.

“We will comply with the truce. We will do our part,” the Contras’ commanding general, Enrique Bermudez, said in his first full-scale interview with American journalists since the cease-fire accord was reached March 23. “But we won’t dismantle--we’ll keep our forces cohesive under our control.”

As Bermudez spoke, Contra sources said that many of their military forces actually welcomed the 2-month break in the fighting as a chance to consolidate, putting them in a stronger position if combat resumes.

Bermudez said he has serious doubts about the Sandinistas’ commitment to the preliminary agreement, which calls for the rebel forces to gather in five cease-fire zones while negotiations for a long-term truce and democratic reforms in Nicaragua proceed.

“What the Sandinists want is a totalitarian regime,” Bermudez said, adding that it would be naive to believe they are prepared for genuine democratic reforms. “They are doing it (the cease-fire) to win time and achieve a better international image.”

At the same time, he said, “We are testing the Sandinists. They . . . will have the last word if this peace negotiating process is going to succeed. The only thing we are going to do is stop fighting and wait (to see) if they comply.”

Fewer Reservations

Bermudez added that he had his own reservations about the cease-fire agreement, but that they did not seem as serious now as immediately after the accord was signed, when he told reporters it had been “poorly negotiated.”

“The day after the agreement I had the impression that we didn’t achieve what we wanted, but I understand that in any negotiation you can’t get all that you want,” Bermudez said, stressing that he and all of his field commanders now accept the cease-fire accord.

A Contra spokesman in Costa Rica, meanwhile, charged that the Sandinistas have violated the truce by launching offensive military operations in Jinotega and Zelaya provinces. Bosco Matamoros accused the Managua government of “actions which contradict . . . the spirit needed to implement a valid cease-fire agreement.”

In a telephone interview, Matamoros said that both sides have continued fighting despite the agreement, but he accused the Sandinistas of starting the combat by “attempting to gain a military advantage during the truce.”

Bermudez, who served as a colonel in the Nicaragua National Guard under former President Anastasio Somoza, said his deepest concern about the agreement involved provisions for the release of political prisoners. He said he fears this will exclude many of the estimated 2,500 former National Guards now serving sentences for alleged crimes committed during the Somoza regime.

“They argue that they (the guardsmen) are criminals. What are the Sandinists who have committed crimes? Why jail our relatives who committed a crime, and why not jail Sandinists who commited more horrible crimes?” Bermudez asked.

As a token of good faith, the Sandinista government released the first 100 amnestied prisoners on Palm Sunday.

Bermudez said the cease-fire zones where the Contras are supposed to remain are primarily located in areas of Nicaragua where the rebels already are operating. He also said the zones, still being delineated in technical talks in the border town of Sapoa, are far too large to become traps in the event the Sandinistas try to surround the Contras.

Matamoros added that, contrary to the account given by Sandinista negotiators Tuesday, the two sides have not yet given final agreement to the size and boundaries of the zones.

Bermudez declined to describe how well-armed his forces are but said they are in good condition to continue fighting, if necessary. He acknowledged, though, that the Sandinistas are much better equipped.

But he noted “we still have enough Redeyes”--anti-aircraft missiles that the United States supplied before Congress cut off military aid--to prevent Nicaraguan government forces from mounting helicopter operations against the rebels.

Asked whether he would bet on the outcome of the negotiations being war or peace, Bermudez replied: “I’d bet on war. But I’d be glad to lose.”

Times staff writer Doyle McManus, in Washington, also contributed to this story.