WORLD : U.S. Has First High-Level Contact With Nicaragua’s Ortega in 5 Years

WASHINGTON —  The United States and Nicaragua had their first high-level contact in almost five years last weekend when an assistant secretary of state took part in a meeting with President Daniel Ortega, the State Department said today.

Janet Mullins, who heads the State Department’s congressional affairs office, joined a congressional delegation for the meeting, which was part of a visit to several Central American countries.

The Reagan Administration carried on a six-month dialogue with the Sandinista government that ended in January, 1985, when U.S. officials accused Nicaragua of negotiating in bad faith.

High-level contacts with Nicaragua were barred afterward. State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler indicated that the prohibition was not carried over into the Bush Administration.