Stop New U.S. Interference in Nicaragua

[George 2]

I'll just reprint this email I got verbatim:

Nicaragua Network

Hotline Special Action Alert January 8, 2004

United States Again Interferes in Nicaraguan Internal Affairs!

Call the U.S. State Department to Protest!

Protect Nicaragua's Sovereignty and Right to Self-Determination!

Managua newspaper "El Nuevo Diario" reported today "open interference" in Nicaragua's affairs, as U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Barbara Moore hosted meetings of right-wing political parties, what the Embassy calls the country's "democratic forces" in the ambassador's residency during the last few days and evenings. The meetings were an attempt to influence the selection of the leadership of the country's National Assembly, expected to be voted on today, Thursday, January 8.

The Embassy classifies the FSLN as not belonging to the "democratic forces." This is an extraordinary assessment because the current democratic system in which successive political parties have succeeded each other peacefully was set up by the Sandinista government with the Constitution of 1987. Before in Nicaragua's history, opposition parties only were able to achieve power by putting together an army and taking the government by force.

On Tuesday political party members favored by the U.S. met two times with Ambassador Moore who put strong pressure on them to make sure that the "democratic forces take control of the legislature," according to Maria Eugenia Sequeira of the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC). El Nuevo Diario reports that the "open interference" of the U.S. has included pressure on President Enrique Bolaños to accept a candidate from the PLC for the presidency of the National Assembly.

This would mean that Bolaños would abandon an accord with the FSLN in which Jaime Cuadra of the Blue and White Bench would be re-elected president of the Assembly. Last week's Hotline reported that Cuadra had suffered a stroke but was expected to recover. The Hotline also explained that PLC presence in the leadership body had been rejected by the Bolaños Blue and White Bench and the FSLN because the PLC members were seen as determined to obtain the release of former President Arnoldo Aleman from house arrest and it was thought they would therefore use their position to distort the legislative process.

The principal issue for U.S. solidarity activists, however, is not which political parties have more or less representation in the leadership of the Assembly but is rather uncalled-for U.S. involvement in Nicaragua's internal affairs and, secondarily, Ambassador Barbara Moore's distortion of the role played in recent Nicaraguan history by the Sandinistas.

This intervention follows close on the heels of blatant U.S. interference in the 2001 presidential elections in Nicaragua when high-level U.S. State Department officials threatened Nicaraguan voters with economic sanctions and worse if they elected the Sandinista candidate. There have also been more recent statements by members of the U.S. Congress who visited Nicaragua last August; Cass Ballenger and Jerry Seller urged the Liberal factions, which they referred to as "democratic forces," to unite against the Sandinistas for the 2004 (municipal) and 2006 (presidential) elections.

Call the Maeve Dwyer at the Nicaragua Desk at the State Department at [phone] and express your disapproval of U.S. interference in Nicaragua's internal political affairs. Ms. Dwyer's message machine says that she will be away at a training on Jan. 8-9. You can leave a message on her voice mail or call the general comment line for the State Department at [phone] and press 1 to leave a message.

Imagine if the Nicaraguan Ambassador in Washington, DC started hosting meetings of Republicans or Democrats and demanding certain political actions and candidates!