Managua Asks U.N. Help to Disband Rebels

Nicaragua proposed Sunday at the start of a two-day summit of Central American presidents that U.N. observers be given new powers and personnel to start disbanding the U.S.-backed Contras, a Nicaraguan source said.

The Salvador government also rejected a truce proposed by leftist rebels fighting in that country.

In return for demobilization of the Contras, the Nicaraguan government would consider resuming its cease-fire and “technical talks” with the leadership of the Honduras-based rebels, a Nicaraguan source said.

The source close to the Nicaraguan delegation, who refused to be identified, also said Nicaragua is willing to allow the U.N. group now in Central America to verify that no weapons are sent from Nicaragua to El Salvador’s leftist rebels.

The U.N. observers were approved four months ago to monitor the voluntary repatriation of the Contras and to make sure that one country’s territory was not being used to launch attacks on a neighbor.

The source, however, said the Nicaraguan government is not optimistic about acceptance of the proposal in view of the United States’ “bipartisan decision to keep the Contras alive until after the February elections in Nicaragua.”

Nicaragua canceled its cease-fire with the Contras on Nov. 1, accusing them of disrupting registration for the Feb. 25 elections.

Also at Sunday’s opening session, the Salvadoran government rejected a cease-fire proposal by the leftist rebels of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN).

The rebels asked for the dismissal of seven high-ranking military leaders in El Salvador and “full respect for human rights and democratic liberties of political and social organizations.”

The Salvadoran government instead asked the rebels to make a commitment not to launch attacks in urban areas and offered to resume negotiations in Venezuela.

Costa Rica proposed a truce in El Salvador from Dec. 12 through Jan. 15 “to give the FMLN and the government time to begin negotiations for a permanent cease-fire.” Costa Rica also proposed that the United Nations be given powers to verify such a cease-fire in El Salvador.

The five Central American presidents opened their meeting in an atmosphere of frustration and pessimism, hoping the superpowers would help rescue the flagging peace efforts in the region.

“We must face that reality”--that the superpowers’ help is needed--said Costa Rican Foreign Minister Rodrigo Madrigal, who commented on the presidents’ discussions.

He added that regional agreements will not have much validity in those places where parties in the conflicts have close ties to the United States and the Soviet Union.

Attending the summit are presidents Oscar Arias Sanchez of Costa Rica, Alfredo Cristiani of El Salvador, Vinicio Cerezo Arevalo of Guatemala, Jose Azcona Hoyo of Honduras and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua.

The presidents met briefly in a conference room, listened to a welcoming speech by Costa Rican Information Minister Jorge Urbina, and then went into a private session.

Arias on Saturday had called the superpowers, without naming the United States and Soviet Union, “two-faced.” He said they spoke about political solutions while encouraging military activities.

On Sunday, Madrigal said, “We must demand from them a definition of their roles, what they have done themselves or through other countries to exert a negative or positive influence in the region.”

He did not suggest how the superpowers might respond, but one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the two might send representatives or observers to negotiations between the warring parties.

The United States supports the Contras, who are fighting the leftist Sandinista government. It also backs El Salvador in its civil war against leftist insurgents.

Washington accuses the Soviet Union and Cuba of providing arms and aid to Nicaragua, some of which it claims are finding their way to Salvadoran rebels.

This summit had been scheduled to be held in Nicaragua, but it was changed to San Jose when El Salvador suspended relations with Nicaragua last month.

El Salvador took the action after two small planes were found in El Salvador carrying surface-to-air missiles that Cristiani said were being flown from Nicaragua to the FMLN. One plane crashed and the other was burned at a rural airstrip.

Agreements reached at an August summit in Tela, Honduras, called for the Contras to disband by Dec. 5. However, their forces, headquartered in camps in Honduras, have remained in place.