Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 21 May 1991

Vol. 408 No. 7

Written Answers. - Nicaraguan Developments.

Michael D. Higgins

Question:

28 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the present situation in the Republic of Nicaragua; and if he will outline the contacts the Government have had with the Nicaraguan Government or their representatives.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Collins)

There have been a number of significant developments in the situation in Nicaragua in the last year. The Contras or the Nicaraguan resistance, as they are referred to by the United Nations, have been demobilised and the Secretary General has expressed himself satisfied with progress made in this area. While initially the new Government faced difficulties with strikes in many sectors, an agreement between employers and unions seems to augur well for stability in the economy.

Mrs. Chamorro's Government have moved towards an open market economy. The Sandinistas, who retain positions of influence in the administration and the armed forces, and hold a substantial proportion of seats in the National Assembly, have played their part in efforts to overcome the difficulties which are facing the country. A significant reduction in army strength has been achieved, in line with the objectives of the Central American Security Commission and the Esquipulas process.

I attended, along with my colleagues in the European Community, the San José VII Ministerial Conference in Managua on 18-19 March 1991. On this occasion we met with the President, Mrs. Violetta Chamorro. The ministerial conference was a successful one and the main emphasis at the conference as in the region itself was on economic rather than political issues. We were able to express our satisfaction at various developments in Nicaragua since the last San José Conference in Dublin in April 1990. The Ministers also expressed their support for the appeal made to the international Community at the Central American Summit in Costa Rica in December 1990 for an emergency plan commensurate with the exceptional situation in Nicaragua, which would provide immediate solutions to the problems posed by the economic and social reconstruction of the country. Copies of the concluding documents of the San José VII Conference have been placed in the Dáil Library.