European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 27, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes Ali urday August 27. 19b7 columns Andrew a Glass for Reagan Nicaragua is continuing obsession about 3.5  people live m and around the nation s capital. Thai s More people than live in Nira Robiin. Cd Ronald Reagan the town s Chi Fuli in. Is More also ibid in is lung i hints  Down Here so in Spiik than he is in draling Wilh reality in Washington. With Congress out. Thi air farce runs a shuttle service to Managua the capital of the banana Sif cd evil Empire. Squads of . Legislators descend from these military Juls. Wise lawmakers might Lake a Cue from Reagan who is spending 24 restful Days in Cali Iomia and slip away for reflective vacations. Thai makes More sense than undertaking frenetic tact finding Tours of Central America Tours so risked thai you Aren t Likely 10 Sec anything thai s real or Leam any thing that s deep. The Pentagon bars reporters from these legislative junkets in Light of what a spokesman Calls the risk  the True risk is that a Good journalist might expose the Enterprise As a charade. Reagan and Daniel Ortega the chief san Dimotta Honcho could have easily reached a simple bargain years ago. The sandinista could have agreed to keep their revolutionary trigger fingers pointed away from their nervous Central american neighbors. Reagan could have agreed to leave them alone. Bui the secret one nowhere to be found in he classified briefing Book the Pentagon gives touring legislators is that Reagan and Ortega need one another. Ortega needs Reagan because things Are going to pot in Nicaragua under marxist Rule. The United states acts As a convenient foil on which to blame Nicaragua s woes which Range beyond the damage done by the . Backed contras. The insurgents on bal Ance help the sandinista because they ensure them of continued massive soviet support while rallying internal backing against the Gringo  Reagan needs Ortega because puny Nicaragua presents a perfect target to an Arm communist zealot who wants to keep the United slates Oul of a big War. . Rosenthal my ". T-"rtis3brigp3si53f aae in Jmaj the president won t take on Russia s Mikhail Gorbachev or Cuba s Fidel Cas Iro leaders who utilize the appalling economic conditions in much of the Western hemisphere to foment genuine political trouble for Washington so pint site Ortega serves As the designated prey which is a Bil like the new York Yankees playing Pony league Ball. There May be limes and places when a global democratic Power needs 10 commit blood and treasure to Roll Back the tide of tyranny. But this in t one of them. The leaders of the four Central Ameri can countries have watched this murderous game develop with rising apprehension and want to put a Stop to it. Reagan says he supports their plans for a regional cease fire. And so docs Gorbachev with the so Viet Economy in ruins the Kremlin wants to make a grand bargain trading say Afghanistan for Nicaragua. Yet another player is House speaker Jim Wright of Texas. He s gotten Reagan to Promise not to ask him for More Money for inc contras until the current si00 million Aid package expires sept. 30. Thai Wright says encourages the peace process. What Wright really wants is a cease fire with the while House Over con tra Aid. He fears democratic House Mem Bers from the South and West will be scar red in having to vote repeatedly on that Issue costing his party scats in 1988. Reagan who lacks a political future remains disinclined to bargain in Good Faith with anybody. His handlers have arranged for him to meet anew with the Contra chiefs. The rebels rationale would vanish if the sandinista adopt Ibe reforms envisioned in the peace plan. Fat Chance Reagan will let thai Hap pen it would leave him without a cause. Co nw5fvtca where we stand on Nicaragua peace proposal lets stand Back a minute and see what is happening to the peace proposals for Nicaragua before they Are killed by a fascinating combination of Ameri can enthusiasts of the sandinista haters of president Reagan and conservatives who once devoted their political lives to supporting him. The pro Sandin Isias in press and politics Are contemptuous about the goal of political democracy in Nicaragua none of our business they say. They arc More interested in continuation of sandinista Rule than in peace. There Are democrats who reject moves toward peace by the White House principally out of distrust and contempt for the president. And some republicans Sec any negotiations Short of a total Sand Mista surrender As a shameful sellout. Standing Back speaker  Wright a Democrat after being approached by the White House offered a set of proposals fora cease fire suspension of american Mil itary Aid to the contras and soviet Aid 10 the Sand is Las. Secretary of slate George Shutlz and White House chief of Slaff Howard Baker believing that the Sandi nistas had been Hurt severely enough to make negotiations feasible got the president to agree meanwhile Down in Guatemala the presidents of Central american nations decided to sign their own peace proposals before Reagan and Wright took the whole show away. So far Fine. Two sets of proposals on the table important differences Between them but perhaps Brid but Washington faced with possible Success went haywire. The administration and Wright acted As if the guatemalan plan was the Only document on the Able. This astonished everybody including the Central american presidents who fully in pecked that the two plans would be negotiated out. For instance the Guatemala proposals do not Cut Back soviet Aid to Nicaragua. The Central americans think this is something the United Stales ought 10 take up forcefully with the russians not an outrageous idea. Soon enough Washington was entering a few reservations to the Guatemala plan. For instance Aid to the contras would cease a couple of months before the cease fire got under Way plainly ridiculous. And some state department people were blasphemous enough to suggest that maybe Congress should put Money in escrow for the contras in Case the Sandi nistas tried democracy and decided they did t like in after All. The pro sandinista in this country acted As if it were a Damnable sin to suggest Hal the United states should nol immediately destroy the contras. Whose existence brought about the Opportunity for negotiations. As for the sandinista they Are pulling police dogs on inc opposition and must Cong thai if the w cold does nol give them More Oil they May not go in for democracy after All. No Surprise no sensible believer in Polit ical Freedom would base negotiations on conversion of sandinista to democracy. This is where we Are we can decide thai we will not consider serious negotiations and instead wait for the contras to wipe Oul the sandinista and hold a Victory Parade in Man Agua. One famous expert on the contras Oliver North has said publicly thai this would not happen or we can decide thai one Day the Sandinia tas because of a collapsing Economy Contra pressure and internal unrest will be ready 10 agree to proposals that would open nicaraguan politics to representatives of the opposition including contras free their cd and other prisoners and create the conditions for a real. Election. There arc officials in Washington who feel that an other year of fighting is necessary. Thai would mean another year of nicaraguan deaths that might be avoided if real talks started now. But Irusle in sandinista who have worked desperately to turn Nicaragua into a communist slate can never be the basis of a peace settlement meant to bring democracy the basis will be the belief Hal once the sandinista have been forced into a real liberalization they will not be Able to reverse in without igniting a revolution and that therefore i anti Sandim Stas of Nicaragua left Center and right will have a decent Chance to compete with the sandinista in a free election. I is 3 Gamble for both sides. Washington will try to Ita p the contras ii ivc until lil it Ili Jii in in Managua seems irreversible. The Sandini us will try 10 keep some soviet military Aid flowini1, to de feat Itic revolution that May come if they anon . That is called reducing the Hsu Tach Side trying to get inc Best Odds. It is Alsip  no Onia Iivari and you get in or gel out. We should by in. My negotiating hard