Nicaragua Network Hotline--February 12, 2008
 
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:36:16 -0600 (CST)



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Nicaragua Network Hotline
www.nicanet.org
February 12, 2008 Topics covered in this hotline include:

1. Tension increases between Nicaragua and
Colombia over maritime border

2. Ortega proposes more effective cooperation with
US in fight against drugs

3. Amnesty proposal sent to committee

4. Journalist calls on Sandinistas to unite to achieve
social change

5. Ministry of Education to take literacy campaign to
Nicaraguan migrants in Costa Rica

Topic 1: Tension increases between Nicaragua and
Colombia over maritime border

Last week saw a rise in tension between the
Nicaraguan and Colombian governments over the
maritime border dispute currently being considered by
the International Court of Justice (the World Court) at
The Hague. During the course of the last seven days
both sides have described the others' actions
as "provocative."

In 1928, when Nicaragua was occupied by the US
Marines Corps, an agreement was signed between
Nicaragua and Colombia giving the latter sovereignty
over three Caribbean islands situated approximately
100 miles from the Nicaraguan coast; San Andres,
Santa Catalina and Providencia. No maritime border
was established as part of the agreement though
Colombia has ever since claimed sovereignty over the
maritime area up to and surrounding these islands
(situated to the east of the 82nd meridian west
longitude). On Dec. 13, 2007, the World Court ruled
that Colombia's claim that the 82nd meridian marks
the border between the two countries was invalid. The
court has yet to define where the maritime border
does lie, however. [To read the
Court's judgment, go to: http://www.icj-
cij.org/docket/files/124/14303.pdf ]
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0017hJHwosWLDoNJ0Dr0r_-9FnV196GD0wY0K8YnXyarjl4S7kFV
0UdJQtng_nK7yHPwdSHo8LKJaghBvGsSX4D09eUd4UOksCZo9I0qD3BhkFawO2iKxNituOSUT6ycQ
nDa01Q3wiB93ibkB2qyAnayu88SnNkKV_-)

On Feb. 8 during a public gathering broadcast live on
national TV and radio, Ortega said that he had ordered
the Nicaraguan military and National Police to protect
Nicaraguan fishermen working in the area. He said
that the two institutions plan to begin patrols to the
east of the 82nd meridian as part of the regional fight
against drugs shortly.  Nicaraguan Fishing Minister
Steadman Fagoth, of Miskito origin, said during the
televised program that "several million dollars" worth
of natural resources are caught up in the dispute with
Colombia. According to Fagoth the area disputed by
Nicaragua (some 150,000 square kilometers which
extends to the point where Nicaragua's continental
shelf ends) has enormous potential for seafood
fishing as well as confirmed oil reserves.

On Feb. 11 the Nicaraguan and Colombian
representatives at the International Court of Justice
were scheduled to meet with the President of the court
in order to discuss the future of the case. During the
meeting Colombia was to be given a deadline by
which to present its case against Nicaragua's claim to
sovereignty over the disputed area.

Within Nicaragua there is general cross-party support
for attempts to establish Nicaragua's sovereignty over
the area disputed with Colombia. When eventually
Nicaragua took the case to the World Court in 2001 it
was done so by then president Enrique Bolaqos.
While almost all political figures support the
government in its fight to establish sovereignty over a
larger maritime area, a number have warned the
Ortega administration against getting the country
caught up in a military dispute with Colombia.  Former
foreign minister and current Constitutional Liberal
Party (PLC) deputy Francisco Aguirre recommended
that Foreign Minister Samuel Santos negotiate a
temporary agreement with Colombia until the Court
establishes the border between the two countries.
Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS) deputy Hugo
Victor Tinoco also warned against being "teased into
a military confrontation" with Colombia.

Topic 2: Ortega proposes more effective
cooperation with US in fight against drugs

A top level mission from the US Drug Enforcement
Agency (DEA) visited Nicaragua on Feb. 4 - 5 to meet
with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and others
in order to discuss the future of Nicaragua's
contribution to the fight against international drug
trafficking and organized crime. In January Ortega
publicly criticized the DEA's presence in Nicaragua
saying that the agency makes direct payments to
Nicaraguan police officers and had plans to set up a
telephone espionage system. The US Embassy in
Managua denied these claims and announced that a
DEA mission would visit Nicaragua in order to explain
to Ortega what the DEA's role and objectives are in the
country.

On Feb. 4, Ortega presented the members of the DEA
mission to the press before a private meeting in
offices of the Ministry of Foreign Relations. The
mission was led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State for Counternarcotics Christy McCampbell.
Ortega said, "I want the Nicaraguan people to know
that our objective here is to establish a new phase of
cooperation between the Nicaraguan and US
governments in terms of the regional fight against
drug trafficking and organized crime ... whereby we are
seriously committed to reducing trafficking.... During
2007 and the beginning of 2008 the Nicaraguan
police and army have delivered important blows to
drug traffickers....  I would say they have carried out the
most significant drug raids in the Central American
region, despite working with such limited
resources."

Christy McCampbell thanked Ortega for "all that your
country does to contribute to the fight against drugs."
She said that this visit represented an "opportunity to
discuss a new strategy [for the regional fight against
drugs] which [Ortega] has prepared and also to
discuss the Merida initiative." [This initiative between
the U.S., Mexico and Central America is, according to
the U.S. government, a "security cooperation initiative
with Mexico and the countries of Central America in
order to combat the threats of drug trafficking,
transnational crime, and terrorism in the Western
Hemisphere."]

Ortega then went on to mention the International Court
of Justice ruling about the maritime border between
Nicaragua and Colombia and proposed to
McCampbell that Nicaraguan and US drug squads,
which currently carry out joint patrols off Nicaragua's
Caribbean coast, should patrol the maritime area to
the east of the 82nd Meridian now that the World Court
has ruled that this is not the border between
Nicaragua and Colombia.

Finally, before a lengthy private meeting, Ortega said
that "as part of our proposal [for the DEA] we include
the promotion of social programs in the [Caribbean
coast] region with help from the US government in
order to take away the social base" from international
drug traffickers. "The Caribbean coast of Nicaragua is
very vulnerable to being corrupted by traffickers
because of the 90% unemployment rate and the
extreme impoverishment of the region."

After the meeting the US Embassy representative
Richard Sanders said that the delegation had been
able to "clarify" any doubts the Nicaraguan
government had about the DEA activities in
Nicaragua. "We have assured President Ortega that
all DEA activities in Nicaragua are well coordinated
and are always carried out with the consent and
knowledge of the Nicaraguan authorities." Sanders
also said that the two sides had been able to "lay the
foundations for greater cooperation in the future."  The
Nicaragua Network will attempt to provide Hotline
readers with more detailed information about
possible Nicaraguan participation in the Merida
Initiative about which we presently know very little
(other than the fact that most of the US$500 million in
funding for the program will go mainly to Mexico) but
about which we are seriously concerned.

Topic 3: Amnesty proposal sent to
committee

On Feb. 6 the text of the amnesty proposal drafted by
Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) deputy Jose
Bernard Pallais and Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
(ALN) deputy Adolfo Martinez Cola was presented to
the press.  The legislative proposal would benefit over
200 former and current public officials who committed,
or are alleged to have committed any type of crime
between 1990 and 2006. The amnesty would cover all
people who held elected or unelected positions in any
of the branches of government, any state institution or
local or regional government. Wives, husbands and
other family members of those public officials would
also be benefited by the amnesty.

The bill proposes to suspend any judicial process or
investigation being carried out against any of those
benefited with impunity.  International agreements of
mutual judicial cooperation Nicaragua has with other
countries would be nullified so that the Nicaraguan
authorities would be unable to subject former public
officials and their families to judicial processes being
carried out against them in other countries.  The
legislation would be proposed as a legislative decree
rather than a public order law in order to avoid an
inevitable presidential veto and so that it would go into
effect immediately if passed by the National
Assembly.  The bill is currently being considered by
the Justice Committee and the Committee for Peace,
Human Rights and Governance. After a committee
report is issued the bill will be debated and voted on
in the whole National Assembly.

It is so far unclear as to whether the PLC and the ALN
will be able to summon up enough support  to pass
the amnesty which would benefit the leaders of the
two parties, namely Arnoldo Aleman (convicted of
massive fraud) and Eduardo Montealegre (being
investigated for massive fraud). On Feb. 11 Aleman
said he supports the proposal and called on PLC
deputies to vote in favor of the legislation. Eduardo
Montealegre was more evasive when questioned on
the matter saying that the ALN had no official position
on the legislation as yet.  The Sandinista party (FSLN),
and the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS), and
the Conservative Party have already announced that
their deputies will vote against the initiative.  The
outcome of an eventual vote on the proposal,
therefore, will be determined by the number of PLC
and ALN deputies who defy their leaders and vote
against the amnesty.

Topic 4: Journalist calls on Sandinistas to unite to
achieve social change

In a recent article published on Radio La
Primerisima's website
(www.radiolaprimerisima.com), journalist Domingo
Quilez emphasized the need for all those political
parties, NGOS, social movements and other sectors
which were born out of Sandinismo and are dedicated
to working for social justice to unite in order to achieve
true social change in Nicaragua. "The only way to
bring an end to social injustice in Nicaragua is to
change the economic system that generates it," says
Quilez. "Neither the government, nor the Sandinista
Renovation Movement (MRS), nor the NGO sector, nor
social movements can do that on their own."

He went on: "How is it possible that the FSLN can
make pacts, negotiate and even reconcile with
Cardinal Miguel Obando, the [Constitutional Liberal
Party] inner circle and so many other enemies of the
revolution but cannot sit down, talk and reach
agreements with the MRS or the Sandinista social
movements?

"How is it possible that [the MRS and other Sandinista
organizations and movements opposed to the
government] can describe the current government as
a dictatorship, talk about a lack of freedom of
expression in the country ... and participate with
Somocista individuals and organizations in the "Block
Against the Dictatorship? Are they unable to admit that
there have been some advances ... in health care,
education and workers' rights [under the FSLN
government]?

"I am convinced that there are women and men in the
current government who are working for social,
political and economic change in benefit of the people
and that within the Sandinista opposition and
organizations there are also people working towards
these changes. Will it be possible for them to come
together and, united, build a Nicaragua where
everyone can fully enjoy our national wealth, where
economic rights are considered an essential aspect
of human rights and where the exploitation of the
majority by the minority is brought to an end? More
than a desire, it is a necessity."

Topic 5: Ministry of Education to take literacy
campaign
to Nicaraguan migrants in Costa Rica

The Ministry of Education (MINED) made public this
week plans to make it possible for illiterate
Nicaraguan migrants living in Costa Rica to benefit
from the literacy campaign taking place in Nicaragua.
On Feb. 5 a delegation from the Ministry of Education's
literacy and adult education departments traveled to
Costa Rica to meet with leaders of the Nicaraguan
migrant community, NGOs who work with Nicaraguan
migrants, and representatives of the Costa Rican
Education Ministry and of the University of Costa Rica.
During the meeting, possible strategies for the
implementation of the literacy classes within the
Nicaraguan communities were discussed.

Director of Vocational Education at MINED Daysi Rivas
said that it was decided that the group CENDEROS
would carry out a census of the Nicaraguan
population in Costa Rica to find out the rate of
illiteracy. The University of Costa Rica offered to
collaborate by making it possible for graduates to
fulfill the university's social service requirement by
teaching Nicaraguan migrants in Costa Rica to read
and write.

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