By Karen Lee Wald
HAVANA — Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega renewed his calls for a sharp turn in Nicaraguan President Violeta Chamorro's economic policies and the establishment of a "government of national unity", in light of the recent violent confrontation in Esteli. He warned that sectors of the US government and right-wing forces inside Nicaragua are pushing for intervention by US/UN troops, trying to impose a military solution to what he says is essentially an economic problem.
Ortega, in Havana to attend the fourth gathering of Latin American left parties and movements (Sao Paulo Forum), pointed out that the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) has been urging Chamorro to abandon "neo-liberal" policies that favor the wealthiest sectors and condemn the poorest to even greater misery.
"Political democracy is meaningless without economic democracy", he asserted.
The explosion which occurred in Esteli wasn't provoked by the Sandinistas, although ex-Sandinista Army members took part in it, along with some former Contras. "It was the natural result of the economic policies followed by the current administration, which denied land and jobs and a decent standard of living to the people", Ortega contended. "We've been denouncing this situation for a long time, but the administration hasn't been sensitive to the issue."
Ortega said he and other FSLN leaders had successfully persuaded other "re-armados" to put down their guns and take part in a dialogue on previous occasions, but the ongoing crisis and the government's failure to act had driven many to a point of desperation.
(Cables from Nicaragua quoted leaders of the "re-armados" as saying they had never expected an armed confrontation with the army, hoping only to make known their demands and force the government to act.)
The FSLN leader decried a campaign being waged by right-wing business groups in Managua who have been urging Chamorro to bring in UN troops to "stabilise" the situation.
"This suspicious proposal comes at a time when the infamous Blue Helmets [UN Forces] are being used worldwide as an intervention force for US policy", Ortega stated.
Calling the UN forces "Yankee soldiers wearing blue helmets", Ortega said their entrance would mean "reinitiating the war on a grander scale." He claimed it would be rejected by the people, the army and the police, who would be forced to take up arms against any such invading force.
"We are against any military solution", he emphasised, "but if the UN are prepared to confront them militarily."
He reiterated that the problems in Nicaragua "aren't military problems — they are economic, social and political ones. The government needs to rectify its policies. That is the only way to solve the problem."
The seriousness of the right-wing call for UN intervention was underlined by an apparent campaign toward the same end within the US. On July 14, the Washington Post featured a front-page story alleging ongoing FSLN "support for terrorism". On the same day, the US Senate approved a non-binding resolution by Republican Senator McCain to halt aid to Nicaragua and "investigate" the FSLN.
Although the Washington Post's "investigative" report was based on a May 23 explosion of arms that were admittedly stored in Managua by a Salvadoran rebel group, the brunt of the article was aimed at showing the FSLN "had to have known about it", and therefore, was itself responsible for far-flung instances of "international terrorism".
Although no hard facts were presented in the article to back up this contention — which the Sandinistas vehemently deny — Ortega considered it an indication of the gravity of the situation. "This article was totally directed at influencing world opinion in a way that would facilitate taking any kind of action against our country. ALthough it was based entirely on false premises, it would suffice as an excuse to attack us. Given the critical situation in our country, we must take it seriously," he said.
Despite this, the FSLN leader rejected attempts by reporters to call for a military response. One reporter, noting that Ortega earlier stated that "We came into government through elections and we expect to get back into government through elections", asked if the FSLN, once in power, would rearm the people to defend themselves against a US-backed attack. Ortega acknowledged that "that menace is always hanging over any government seeking the kind of political space and independence" the Sandinistas had briefly acquired. "If anyone is clear that we will carry out our revolution, it is the Yankees."
Faced with that situation, he said, "We would have no choice. No matter how big the enemy is, we can't allow our country to be taken over", adding, "If the Blue Helmets come in, we would fight them, and we think many of our neighbors throughout Latin America would support us."
But he returned to his earlier contention that a military solution wasn't the answer. "War should never come back to Nicaragua as a result of the present conditions. We didn't choose war, and we should avoid it. We need to construct viable alternatives."
[From NY Transfer News Collective.]