Ortega Invites OAS at a New Impasse in the Nicaragua Negotiation

The Ortega regime reveals its agenda, which is far from the demands of citizens for freedom, justice and democracy, while instead exhorts to suspend sanctions

By Confidencial

HAVANA TIMES – The Government of Daniel Ortega invited the Organization of American States (OAS) on Saturday to participate in the negotiations established with the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy, which are at an impasse, after the bishops of the Episcopal Conference rejected to take part as witnesses or companions of the process.

In parallel, the regime revealed its agenda for negotiation, which is far from the demands of citizens for freedom, justice and democracy, while instead exhorts to suspend all sanctions against his Government.

After the rejection from the Episcopal Conference to participate as witness and companion at the negotiating table, which was established on February 27, the Civic Alliance announced that it will reconsider its participation in this forum and demanded that the regime show “signs of political goodwill” to continue the negotiations.

In a first statement, the Executive announced its five points on the agenda to be discussed at the negotiating table, in which it rules out elections before those scheduled in November of 2021, which is one of the demands of various sectors to overcome the crisis.

In addition, it proposes to “strengthen” electoral institutions -of a system actually collapsed- through the implementation of the recommendations of the electoral support mission of the OAS and proposals for electoral reforms, that “improve” free, fair and transparent electoral processes. The Government had already established in 2017 an agreement with the OAS on this subject, which months later it suspended without explanations.

It also offers justice and reparation “to continue consolidating peace, security and stability in Nicaragua” and speaks of the “release of the prisoners in the context of criminal acts that occurred as of April 2018 against the State of Nicaragua, which have not yet been tried, and those already prosecuted.” However the regime proposes to review each of the files, with the supposed purpose that no case is left in impunity, the reality is that among the more than 600 political prisoners that still remain in the country’s prisons there is not one policeman nor paramilitary prosecuted.

Another of the proposed points is to “continue strengthening” the freedoms, rights and guarantees established in the Constitution, although in practice it has infringed on the rights of free movement, expression and protest and besieges permanently the free press and non-governmental organizations that work with civil society and in defense of human rights.

It promises efforts and asks for suspension of sanctions

The dictatorship, in its agenda, also proposes to carry out international efforts to obtain support for the implementation of the final agreements of the negotiation, and the implementation and fulfillment of the agreement.

In its statement, the Executive also made “a call to the international community to suspend all sanctions against the people of Nicaragua, to facilitate the right to human, economic and social development of Nicaragua, favoring the most vulnerable sectors of the population.”

More US sanctions are pending over the dictatorship, which has already sanctioned the police chief and an in-law of Ortega and Murillo, Francisco “Paco” Diaz; the Secretary of the Mayor’s Office of Managua, Fidel Moreno, accused of coordinating paramilitary operations; the treasurer and vice president of Albanisa, Francisco “Chico” Lopez; the guardian of the secrets of El Carmen and intelligence and espionage operator, Nestor Moncada, and Vice President and wife of Ortega, Rosario Murillo. In addition, the European Union has warned of similar measures against Ortega and his associates.

The Permanent Council of the OAS has also begun to apply the Inter-American Democratic Charter to Nicaragua, which could lead to its suspension from the continental organization.

OAS envoy will come to Nicaragua

Members of the negotiating table of the Civic Alliance have recognized that the agenda proposed by the dictatorship is far from the citizens agenda. The Civic Alliance has raised as agenda items the release of political prisoners and the restoration of freedoms, rights and guarantees established by the Constitution; electoral reforms that ensure fair, free and transparent elections and justice.

The OAS, in a joint statement, with the Ortega government informed that it invited Luis Angel Rosadilla, special envoy of the General Secretariat of the OAS to Nicaragua, to participate in the negotiating table, which will be analyzed starting Monday by the parties.

The source explained that on February 14, the Government of Nicaragua held “important talks” with a delegation from the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States, “in order to advance the path towards the necessary electoral reforms within the framework of the Constitution, and other topics.”