TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2009

Nicaragua Network Hotline (July 14, 2009)

1. Zelaya issues “Ultimatum” in Managua; Nicaraguans persecuted by coup government
2. Nicaraguan delegation to meet with IMF in Washington on July 13
3. World Court rules in San Juan River case
4. Dock at Bilwi (Puerto Cabezas) completely rebuilt
5. Sandinista Doctors Movement has held 300,000 consultations and done 9,000 surgeries

Topic 1: Zelaya issues “Ultimatum” at Managua press conference

Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said in Managua on July 13 that if the new phase of mediation in San Jose, Costa Rica, makes no progress in restoring constitutional order in his country, he will turn toward “other measures.” Zelaya, who was overthrown in a military coup on June 28, was accompanied by his Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas and Carlos Ham, a leader of the Democratic Unification Party. When reporters asked what those other measures might include, Zelaya read an article from the Constitution of Honduras which stated that no one owed obedience to a “usurper government” and that “the people have the right to resort to insurrection in defense of constitutional order.”

Zelaya read an ultimatum in which he denounced the violence against the people carried out by the coup government of Roberto Micheletti and thanked Costa Rican President Oscar Arias for his mediation. He said the mediation is taking place on the premise that the coup government “must restore constitutional order and guarantee the immediate, safe and unconditional return of your servant the constitutional President of the Republic.” He said that he would not meet personally with Micheletti.

Nine Nicaraguans were expelled from Honduras on July 7, accused by the coup government of working in support of the return of President Zelaya. They had been detained on July 3 without warrants and were interrogated by authorities. Several of the men had been working in Honduras for more than ten years. Others were travelling businessmen. They were told they could not return to Honduras.

Travel between Nicaragua and El Salvador has been affected by the coup. Each bus that makes the trip must now pay US$50 for an official of the Honduran authorities to accompany the vehicle, making sure that no one gets off inside Honduran territory. Control is particularly strict for Nicaraguan travelers who must have their pictures taken at the border as well as provide copies of their identification cards. Sixteen Nicaraguan construction workers who were working on an international bridge in El Salvador were detained by Honduran authorities. Money changers, pedicab drivers, and others who earn their livelihoods at the border all complained of a drastic slowdown in business.

The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) released a statement which called on the Organization of American States (OAS) to again take up the efforts to find a non-violent solution to the crisis. CENIDH condemned the repression of Honduran citizens by that country's army saying that July 5 attacks on the airport protesters were carried out “with disproportionate violence causing the deaths of the two young people Isis Obed Murillo and Darwin Antonio Lagos and injuring dozens of demonstrators.” The statement demanded that those responsible for the deaths and injuries be brought to justice.

Topic 2: Nicaraguan delegation to meet with IMF in Washington on July 13

Central Bank Antenor Rosales led a delegation including private bankers to Washington on July 11 to prepare for a July 13 meeting with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss Khan. Nicaragua hopes to gain approval by the IMF of its recent budget reforms in order to gain disbursal of a needed US$35 million loan and also access to special drawing rights to another US$35 million. Rosales said that the delegation will give Strauss Khan a technical document about revisions to the IMF program and added that “We hope that the highest authorities of the IMF will accept a vision of Nicaraguan reality presented by the government and other sectors of society.”

The Nicaraguan government won National Assembly approval of budget cuts to reflect lower revenues as a result of the world financial crisis. However, it did not include changes in tax law and Social Security benefits demanded by the IMF. As a result the IMF did not send a mission to Nicaragua, but rather the Nicaraguans are travelling to Washington. Rosales said that eliminating the tax free status of the communication media, churches, and non-profit organizations along with a reduction in monthly pensions for seniors under Social Security would have a serious negative impact on Nicaragua.

Presidential economic advisor Bayardo Arce said that the churches and the NGOs bring donations to the country that help to alleviate poverty. He noted that the Nicaraguan American Foundation alone sends more than US$100 million in food, medicine, and medical equipment while helping 1,000 schools with meal programs. Elimination of the foundation's tax exempt status would require them to pay 20% in taxes on that assistance. He said that these tax changes along with reducing pensions were unacceptable.

Meanwhile, economist Adolfo Acevedo said that the government has more than made up for the withdrawal of budget support funds by the European Union for this year, receiving a total of US$131.6 million as compared to the US$109.1 million that had been programmed earlier. However, Acevedo noted, US$86 million in loans from the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank have been substituted for the lost US$64.1 million in donations from the E.U.

Topic 3: Nicaragua wins World Court ruling in San Juan River case

The International Court of Justice at The Hague (the World Court) ruled on July 13 that, while Costa Rica has the right of free navigation on the river for purposes of commerce, including transportation of passengers and tourists, it does not have the right to have police boats on the river. The Cañas-Jerez Treaty of 1858 gave the river to Nicaragua and the southern bank to Costa Rica along with navigation rights. In 2005, Costa Rica entered a demand before the Court alleging that Nicaragua had violated the Treaty when it impeded armed Costa Rican police from patrolling the river. The court also ruled that fishing by the inhabitants of the Costa Rican bank of the river for subsistence purposes should be respected by Nicaragua.

But the Court said that Costa Rica did not have the right to navigate the river with vessels to carry out police functions nor did it have the right to navigate the river for the purposes of the exchange of personnel of the police border posts along the southern bank of the river and of the re-supply of these posts. The Court said that Nicaragua acted in accord with the law when it placed controls on river travel, asking boat passengers to show identification documents, and when it imposed timetables on navigation of the river. However, Nicaragua does not have the right, according to the Court, to demand that travelers obtain Nicaraguan tourist visas. Nicaragua can require Costa Rican vessels fitted with masts or turrets to display the Nicaraguan flag.

Nicaragua's representative before the Court, Carlos Argüello, said at The Hague that the ruling was a “complete success” for Nicaragua. “The Court made clear,” he said, “that the sovereignty over the River belongs to Nicaragua and that Managua has the right to inspect any vessel that might enter the River.” “It's significant,” he added, that vessels “have the obligation to report [to Nicaraguan authorities] at the entrance as well as exit ports” of the river. Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Valdrack Jaenstke said that the verdict was important because it allows Nicaragua to protect the River and its environmental sustainability. “The environmental issue was clearly in favor of Nicaragua,” he said.

Topic 4: Dock at Bilwi (Puerto Cabezas) completely rebuilt

President of the National Port Authority Virgilio Silva and Bilwi Mayor Guillermo Espinoza inaugurated the new Bilwi dock, which has been completely rebuilt with funds from the Port Authority. According to Silva, “The dock was severely damaged on Sept. 4, 2007, by Hurricane Felix and after that we began to work toward a rehabilitation project for the dock.” He added that, “We were able to work with the indigenous communities so that they would provide the lumber from trees downed by the Hurricane [which indigenous communities were given the right to extract from the forests] and we rebuilt the parts damaged by the hurricane and by the passage of time.” Most of the lumber came from the community of Tasba Pri, 95 kilometers west of Bilwi. Silva showed those present the new barrier that has been built to protect against fuel spills on the dock.

The inauguration of the new dock was accompanied by the traditional May Pole dance and even the songs of Michael Jackson. Membership cards in the Sandinista Party were given out to many of the workers of the Port Authority. Silva said that construction on another dock made of concrete for ships of 10,000 tons and larger, financed by funding from the Bolivarian Alliance for Our Americas (ALBA), will begin in 2010.

Topic 5: Sandinista Doctors Movement has held 300,000 consultations and done 9,000 surgeries

Two and a half years after its birth, the Sandinista Doctors Movement (MMS) has developed a profile as one of the professional organizations that has had the most impact on the poor of Nicaragua.

In this year alone, the MMS has held more than 4,000 consultations and performed over 1,000 operations, which has significantly reduced the surgery waiting list at public hospitals in the country. The goal for this year is 100,000 consultations and 4,000 operations. From March 2007 to date, MMS has provided more than 300,000 consultations and performed more than 9,000 surgeries.

According to Dr. Enrique Beteta, national coordinator of the group, the work is an effort to fulfill the promise made by President Daniel Ortega that, during this first period of his administration, we would restore the right to health care to the entire Nicaraguan population.

Beteta emphasized that, although Managua is covered, the places that have the most need for the MMS are in the northern portion of the country. “We are going to the most remote parts of the country, because it is there that the people need the attention most,” he said.

The MMS brings together approximately 800 physicians; however, Dr. Beteta says that all the work done by them would not be possible if it was not for the support of the workers of FETSALUD [Sandinista health workers union], who assist the MMS doctors when they visit different places around the country.

This hotline is prepared from the Nicaragua News Service and other sources. To receive a more extensive weekly summary of the news from Nicaragua by e-mail or postal service, send a check for $60.00 to Nicaragua Network, 1247 E St., SE, Washington, DC 20003. We can be reached by phone at 202-544-9355. Our web site is: www.nicanet.org. To subscribe to the Hotline, send an e-mail to nicanet@afgj.org
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