NICARAGUAN REBEL SAYS HE'D LIKE IT THE U.S. WAY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000201090054-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 54
• Publication Date: April 28, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09 :CIA-RDP90-009658000201090054-4
20 ki'Ru~ 1983
V4~hat they want
Nrcar ~ ~ re1'~el s he'c~ ~ihe it the U.S.
s~~ u~
By Peter R. IvfcCormick - vision; Q~congressmen met here with an Chamorro spoke of a "scenario" in which
s?"'?' `? ''"'"?"?? ?~ unidentified FDN leader and high Honduran the government would agree to negotiate; but
TEGUCIGALPA.Honduras-As"theiracti v- officials. he freely admitted that such was extremely
hies in Nicaragua draw increasing attention et ,a news conference after the meeting, optimistic. "We have in t1Ae .past offered to
in }'Washington, the leaders of the largest anti- one?of=the legislators, ep. Norman Y: Mineta negotiate with the Sandinistas," he said, "and
Sandinista guerrilla orgat3ization are at? ~. (D., Calif.), said the goals of U.S. policy were. ,they have ignored us." '
'tempting to align 3heir_siat~ . gams moil cut off supplies to rebels in El Salvador and ,,._ : bFssential to .bringing about,, ~negvt~ations_
closely with the Reagan administration's - to,.tnake the Sandinistas be conceraed-with ~ -mould be the participation of the othertiaajor
Central American policy. . =_' ';; :their domestic commitments instead of being ~ ~ guerrilla organization, the .Revolutionary
When be was asked in an interview here ::preoccupied with events outside Nicaragua." Democratic Alliance. It is led by ihencharis
Friday -what the insurgents' aims were. Ed-,..,,,,.~eta.noted that he had been very skeptic ,~gatic-former Sandi~iist tommaader; -Dden
gardo Chamorro.Coronel, one of seven direr=' tai about administration policy toward Nica- Pastors, who 1s..based-in:=he sottih-aIId hes:.
tors of the Nicaraguan Democratic".Force ~g~, and than; hE still had not decided ~ ~~isdained the FDN ?as.a.legacy-of the sepres?
(FDN, said his orgaaizettoe~cleSftaere-~ Whether it complied --wish IJ~S. law. He ia~s' live past. t `,r.~?. ~,, _.; ? ? ?` ?! . _,
place :the leftist government iri Nicaragua .::Plied, though, that 'the insurgents'~desire-to" Df Pastors, Chamorro said, ~'We .are .fight- ~
,with amulti-parry democracy.`'- make the:Sandinistas pay more.attentton.xo' ~ing for the same -.goals: a negotiated sett}e- i
He did his best to emphasize his organiza? domestic affairs cold be compatible with the- went and free elections. ]Ys very important
bon's moderation. "We are nottrying to over- administration's efforts,-to break the Nicara? to have this agreement."
throw the Sandinistas," he said. "We want to gun-Salvador supply route. He doesn't have it yet, and the .fighting
give them a message." The FDN claims a membership of more continues -with a .force that Chamorro
Chamorro's tone was in stark contrast~to '~ than 7,500 and is allied. with the Misurasata complained is inadequately armed and that.
remarks made not long before by another Which represents the three Indian -tribes of unlike the Sandinista troops, has no heavy
FDN official, .who said of Cuban and East Nicaragua and says it has2,S00 guerrillas-in mortars,recoilless. rifles,belicoptergunships
European advisers in his homeland. "We will eastern Nicaragua. or tanks.
kill them," and of one Sandinist official, "We In the last month, the FDN's directors say, "We'd like to receive that,".fie said, " but
will try him as a communist." they have beenattempting to transform their that's wishful thinking. The aid we are re-
Instead. Chamorro seemed to be in accord ~rgantzation.from.an expatriate rebel force" .ceiving proves -that the administration
trained in Honduras to a legitimate coalition doesn't want to overthrow the Sandinistas."
with Reagan administration officials ~t~ho of Nicaraguans from all levels of society, Even if Congress decided to restrict the
have ~consistenUy denied -that the United united in their deterrtination to than a the CIR's covert o
States is trying to unseat the Sandinistas. In g Aerations against Nicaragua, he
fact, President Rea an said at a nee s confer,- leftward drift of the Nicaraguan government. said. the insurgenc}~ would not immediately
g ~ The Harvard-educated Chamorro was dean grind- to a halt:: "Let's assume the aid does
once two weeks ago that he did not believe of the School of Humanities at the University . slow down. The problem will be later on..If
that the itisurgents~vere capable of doing so.' ~ Nicaragua and?ran a public relations firth your tank is full, you can keep going"
Although Reagan .would .not .comment on , in Managua at xhe..time of the, Sandinista -More important than military aid. be said,
?y~tteiher the United States was supplying the- miumph over Anastasio Somoza in July 1979. -was popular supportSorthe FDN within Nica-
rebels, he said U.S. policy ?in the region was He belongs to a family chat gave- Nicaragua ragas. He acknowledged that former mem-
intended solely to stop the flow of arms and four presidents; among his cousins are sever- hers of Somoza's national guard were FDN
supplies from Nicaragua to the Salvadoran al members of the Sandinista government, -members, but be insisted that none was the
guerrillas. ?--,..,:__ .~:__~-- -. ,, .- _
Nowhere in the FDN's gl,,,,~, ,,.,.~ ,,, ~? ,~, ~, uenai
a pnest ana pro~mtnent
oet
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however, is there an mention of e desiFe to.. cousin is Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, editor of So their presence, he said, has not affected
stem t at ow, an amorro tsmtsseo a Ls Prensa, Nicaragua's only opposition news- the organization's popularity among the ci-
recent amt era re ort t at sat t e paper. .. _ .., vilians living in? FDN-controlled.areas. (In ;
ha to congressmen to c -- mony- He says beopposed~Somoza,.but Chamorro fact, some say it. has~tihanced it?. Under
that the guerrillas had in fact -reduced it: left Nicaragua. very .shortly after the Sandi- Somoza. ?many,guardsmen were recrnited.in
"We are not paid policemen," be said. "We nistas came to power. Now, ?he hopes to get^a _ -:several areas where. the FDN says., it ,has
don't-want xo be used like that.-We're`not message back-to those he left behind. popular support,) -"`i'^ ~:' ~ ~--- ;
_ going to die to stop the flow of weapons." i~e~ .t~ The snessage.tiesjn.t~he FDN "peace initie-= a : ~ "We ~~ve a strong~de~ of ~et3tics;~end we
added sardonically; 'Why don'ttiieyitsets`~o. ~xive,"lte said-ribose.issues his group says-,ware, seriously committed to a dean.-mar;',
' stopthe flow of cocaine to the.~JnitedStates?"~,.:?vvould be?the most~tm~rrAnt.,subjeCts of any `., .Chamorro._ said. "Fot=-.that .reason ave have
By and large, though; the'FDN's newccam- future--negotiations-. with :7he Sandinistas. gotten the aid_of'tbe~eople."~ ~ . ,
paign of moderation appears-to? Stave*been 'they include'an End to `censorship and reli- ~-Then, as 7 to underscore his confidence in
'.~airlY'effective:'tt may have reached, apublic- gions petsecutian,and elections for aNation-: " ~~that;tact, he said; "I atn`of the opinion that if
relations peak on Monday,~when a-group of al Constituent.Assembip~y.September.._` ,~...~ Congress wants to~cttt+~d,~ine'~ ?.~.,~ -
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09 :CIA-RDP90-009658000201090054-4