President Daniel Ortega ended his leftist government's 19-month truce with the Contras Wednesday, citing continued rebel attacks. He accused President Bush of "supporting terrorism in Nicaragua."
By suspending the truce, Ortega has invited renewed U.S. military aid to the Contras. Ortega made the announcement Wednesday morning at a news conference broadcast live on nationwide radio.On Friday, the Sandinista leader stunned a summit of Western hemisphere leaders when he announced he would not renew the truce, which the government has done monthly. He since softened his stance after widespread criticism.
By going through with the threat, he could trigger international condemnation and loss of support of Western European friends, who have defied U.S. pressure and aided Nicaragua's leftist Sandinista government.
Bush said Tuesday he would review U.S. policy toward Nicaragua if Ortega ends the cease-fire.
"We are waiting for that re-evaluation," said a Contra leader, Adolfo Calero, in Miami. "For our part, we have to defend ourselves. Every man has the right to survive,
and we have to look for the way to survive."
In Washington Wednesday, White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said: "We'll consider the situation, analyze the options, determine the appropriate response, but at this point, no decisions have been made."
Asked if this might prompt the administration to seek renewed military aid for the Contras, Fitzwater said, "We haven't considered any response, except that we were trying to preserve the cease-fire and preserve the peace process."
At Wednesday's news conference, Ortega referred specifically to the latest reported attack by the Contras, on Monday night, that left four civilians dead and five wounded.
"We have the responsibility of defending the lives of Nicaraguans," Ortega said. "Therefore, we can't allow assassinations to be committed" against civilians, Ortega said.
Calero denied that the Contras participated in the attack. "It's too coincidental not to have been staged," he said.
Ortega blamed Bush in part for his decision, saying Bush was "supporting terrorism in Nicaragua."
"This is very clear when the (U.S.) government instead of using (Congress-approved non-lethal funds) . . . for the demobilization of the Contras, uses these funds as logistical support" for the rebels, Ortega said.
Ortega, his defense and interior ministers, international observers of Nicaragua's electoral process and a U.S. Embassy official, traveled by helicopter Tuesday to the site of the latest reported attack by the rebels.
After returning from the remote village 200 miles southeast of Managua, the Sandinista officials met for four hours with their top military officers.
John Leonard, the U.S. Embassy charge d'affairs, was invited to accompany Ortega to San Miguelito but he declined, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mercedes Borge. Valentin Martinez, the embassy's political counselor, went instead.