[Will new 'peace plan' end war in Central…]
1987 1987-09Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 1 →
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Will new 'peace plan' end war in Central America?
name of "democratization," the U.S. government hopes to undermine the Sandinista majority established by cratic elections in Nicaragua. The United States has said, moreover, that the Sandinista government's process ›cratization" must be "irreversible" before it is willing to abandon the contras. In the demo "deme MEXICO See pages 8-9.
SEPTEMBER 1987 VOL.5, NO.9 50 CENTS In 1984, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Panama-the "Contadora" groupproposed a peace plan for Central America.
After the Nicaraguan government agreed to sign the document, the Reagan administration added unacceptable conditions that effectively blocked an agreement. President Reagan demanded that the Sandinistas negotiate a form of power-sharing with the murderous contras.
On Aug. 7, 1987, Nicaragua and four other Central American countries signed a peace agreement proposed by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. The new document stipulates that by Nov. 7, 1987, all foreign aid to "irregular" military forces fighting in Central America must end. It also calls for "national reconciliation" and a process of "democratization" in each of the five countries.
Two days prior to the Aug. 7 signing of the Arias plan, President Reagan and House Democratic leader Jim Wright presented a "peace plan" of their own.
This bipartisan plan demanded that the Sandinistas establish a cease-fire, negotiate with the contras, and restore suspended civil liberties.
But the Reagan-Wright plan was not designed to achieve peace. It was a transparent attempt to secure congressional approval of continued military aid for the Nicaraguan contras. It specifically included conditions the Sandinista government had vowed it would never accept—like negotiating with the contras.
Adjusting to new situation After seven years of U.S. military support, the contras have failed to gain even a foothold of popular support in Nicaragua. This fact, combined with the illegal U.S. activities exposed during the Contragate hearings, compelled the U.S. government to make a gesture toward negotiations with Nicaragua.
In the aftermath of the signing of the Arias plan, the U.S. imperialists have had to adjust to a more difficult diplomatic situation.
While "welcoming" the Arias plan, U.S. government officials have nonetheless criticized it for (1) not demanding sufficient concessions of the Sandinistas, and (2) leaving the contras out on a limb.
The adoption of the Arias plan, in this sense, represents a diplomatic victory for the Sandinistas. Unlike the Reagan-Wright plan, the Arias plan legitimizes the Nicaraguan government and denies legitimacy to the contras. It puts the onus for aggression on the United States and provides the Nicaraguan Revolution some "breathing space."
But the U.S. government has vowed to pressure the Central and Latin American governments into making the Arias plan conform to the Reagan-Wright plan, which (continued on page 7, in “U.S. blocks aid to Nicaragua”)