Nicaragua government, opposition agree on ‘roadmap’ for talks
MANAGUA: Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s leftist government and the opposition have agreed a ‘ roadmap’ for extended peace talks to resolve 10 months of crisis sparked by a deadly crackdown on dissent in which hundreds of people were killed.
The breakthrough was announced late Tuesday by Vatican ambassador to Nicaragua, Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, after five days of talks in the capital Managua between the government and the opposition Civic Alliance.
On Wednesday, the two sides issued a joint statement confirming that they had ‘begun the consideration of agenda items’ and would continue today.
The talks had been temporarily suspended on Wednesday pending the response of the Catholic Church to an invitation from both sides to participate as an observer at the talks, along with the Evangelical church.
The Cardinal Archbishop of Managua, Leopoldo Brenes, said he would respond to the invitation on Friday after consulting bishops.
The Catholic Church mediated a previous round of peace talks that collapsed in June 2018.
The opposition has demanded a wider international presence, including representatives of the United Nations and the Organisation of American States, to ensure compliance with any agreement adopted during talks.
The government side opposed this, but as part of the roadmap agreement both sides said guarantors would be designated once an agenda is approved.
“We need the presence of organizations that give confidence and transparency to the dialogue, both to the participants and to the population,” Alliance delegate Ernesto Medina told AFP.
Now that a framework has been agreed for the talks, the negotiations are due to proceed daily from Monday to Friday until March 28, though that deadline could be extended ‘by consensus’ of the two six-member delegations.
The crisis began in April 2018, sparking months of protests across the Central American country against Ortega’s leftist government.
More than 300 people were killed in a brutal crackdown on the opposition and independent media.
Hundreds of opposition figures were thrown in jail and more than 50,000 Nicaraguans fled the country. — AFP