From the archive, 12 January 1985: Ortega offers amnesty to contra leaders
From the archive, 12 January 1985: Ortega offers amnesty to contra leaders
Originally published in the Guardian on 12 January 1985
Tony Jenkins in Managua guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 11 January 2012 19.00 EST
President Ortega has offered what appears to be an unconditional amnesty to US-backed counter-revolutionary leaders.
The offer came in a speech after he was sworn in late on Thursday night, in a ceremony that the Labour Party leader, Mr Neil Kinnock, described as a "birthday for democracy."
In his address, Mr Ortega appeared to take a conciliatory line towards both his domestic opposition and the contras operating out of Honduras and Costa Rica. His speech signals renewed efforts to find a negotiated solution to Nicaragua's problems.
Mr Ortega announced that "we are prepared to accept for immediate reintegration into society, all those people who have been involved in armed counter-revolutionary activity." In the past, contra leaders have been specifically excluded.
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2012/jan/12/archive-ortega-offers-amnesty-contra
