RIVALRY THREATENING TO SPLIT CONTRAS

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP90-00965R000403790032-7
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RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
1
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
February 9, 2012
Sequence Number: 
32
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
May 16, 1986
Content Type: 
OPEN SOURCE
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PDF icon CIA-RDP90-00965R000403790032-7.pdf122.75 KB
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/09 :CIA-RDP90-009658000403790032-7 NEW YORK TIMES 16 May 1986 Rivalry Threatening to Split Contras M'TICI.E ~~ - / By JAMES LeM' E Special to The New York Time MIAMI, May 15 -After three days ,/ of talks, Nicaraguan rebel leaders re- main so deeply divided on how to re- structure their guerrilla movement that one key leader is ready to resign, according to several rebel officials here. The State Department is sufficiently alarmed by the internal dispute that it has threatened hard-liners within the rebel movement that if they do not make concessions, aid to the guerrillas will be cut oft within a few weeks, ac- cording tofour rebel and Congressional sources. When asked to comment, a State De- partment official would confirm only that Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams told rebel leaders that "it is necessary to resolve internal differ- ences or else aid will be threatened." Several rebel officials here say thatea solution can be forced only by more pressure from the Administration. A Threat to Cut OH Ald The furious showdown between com- peting rebel leaders appears to be the inevitable culmination of Administra- tion efforts to transform the politically conservative guerrilla army, which en- joys little or no international standing, into a popular movement capable of threatening the Sandinista leadership in Nicaragua. The outcome has major implications because several members of Congress have said they will not vote for further American assistance to the rebels it they do not form abroad-based move- ment. tru le for wer rebel otti- cials who w on i the Centre. ante Qence AQencv to w cratic Force ace ess militant rebel of flcla s w o. with the leader of the NicA_ ra uan Democratic F r ers o t e new American-ba raxuan Ovtxtsition. 'He's Had It' According to several well-placed rebel and Congressional sources, Ar- turoCruz, who is seen as the least hard- line of the rebel leaders, has said he will resign i[ the old rebel military structure is not brought fully under the authority of the United Nicaraguan Op- position. Rebel military leaders have fiercely resisted such a change. "He's had it," said a rebel official who knows Mr. Cruz well. "If he does- n't get agreements on making the mili- tary side subservient to the civilian leaders, he's going to resign." Mr. Cruz refused to comment on his intentions. If he resigns, several rebel sources here say, another top rebel offi- cial, Alfonso Robelo, will also probably resign. That would leave Adolfo Cale- ro, head of the Nicaraguan Democratic Force, as the sole remaining rebel leader, an outcome that appears likely to torpedo further aid from Congress. "If Cruz walks, they might as well kiss support to the rebels goodbye," said Representative Dave McCurdy, an Oklahoma Democrat who 1s seen as the leader of swing votes in the House on the issue of aid to the rebels. "It would clearly be a sign that the rebels refuse to become more democratic and provide a reasonable alternative to the Sandinistas." Around-tbaClock Talb In a shitting series of meetings in hotels, high-rise apartment towers that overlook the bay, and secluded homes on Key Biscayne, rebel leaders are locked in around-the-clock talks with their lieutenants and their internal op- to re e en's spec a envoy, Philip C. Habib. _ ew own s tore ea ers on frtajor reorttaNzat on o ovement in eats the Stat Da men __ persua r. -~AiaGdlf~GtL But Mr. Cruz and Mr. Robelo have charged that the organiza- tionhas remained politically powerless because Mr. Calero has maintained control of the Nicaraguan Democratic Force army and a separate bureau- cracy that serves it. Resistance Expected to ConHnus Mr. Cruz is now demanding that the United Nicaraguan Opposition be the only political organization to represent the rebels, according to rebel sources, and that all decisions betaken by a ma- jority vote of the top three leaders. That would allow him and Mr. Robelo to outvote Mr. Calero. Mr. Calero has resisted both meas- ures, the same rebel sources say, and is expected to continue resisting them in talks that could extend into next week. Despite repeated telephone calls this afternoon, Mr. Calero could not be reached for comment. In a number of confrontations over the last few months, Mr. Calero has refused to make any concession to Mr. Cruz, according to rebel and Congres- sional sources. He has maintained overall control of the war in Nicaragua, has sidestepped efforts to close his group's office in Washington in order to allow the United Nicaraguan Opposi- tion to open an office, and has used pri- vate funds to carry out his own political activities, the sources say. This week, according to two rebel sources, Mr. Calero suggested that members of the old Liberal Party, which served the Nicaraguan dictator Mastasio Somoza Debayle, be in- cluded in the new rebel organization. Mr. Calero was said to have argued that this would be a move at greater representation. Mr. Cruz and Mr. Robelo reportedly took the move as an attempt to increase the standing of con- servatives in the organization. Conduct to Interview Questioned In a sign of the tensions between the top leaders, Mr. Cruz and Mr. Robelo demanded that the senior rebel mili- tarycommander, Col. Enrique Bermu- dez, explain a recent television inter- view in which he dismissed the impor- tance of a new code of conduct written by the United Nicaraguan Opposition for rebel soldiers, rebel sources here say. Mr. Bermudez tried to avoid explain- ing his conduct during a brief meeting on Monday, saying he was very busy and had to return to Honduras, the rebel sources say. He then reportedly attempted to dismiss the matter in a manner that Mr. Cruz and Mr. Robelo found unconvincing. Mr. Bermudez, a close ally of Mr. Calera, is reported to be angry that Mr. Cruz and Mr. Robelo managed to per- suade agroup of rebel commanders in southern Nicaragua to join forces with them last week. In effect, this gave Mr. Cruz and Mr. Robelo, for the first time, their own base of military support. Mr. Bermudez had hoped the southern rebel commanders would join the Hon- duran-based army that he commands, rebel officials here say. At present, only three outcomes of the rebel leaders' dispute appear like- ly. They are that Mr. Calero would give in to Mr. Cruz; Mr. Cruz would modify his position and remain, or Mr. Cruz would carry out his threat and resign. Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/09 :CIA-RDP90-009658000403790032-7