The United States government is willing to respond to Nicaragua’s “positive steps” such as the release of political prisoners, as well as the restitution of “minimum rights” by the administration of President Daniel Ortega to its citizens.
He said so this Friday at the voice of america Brian Nichols, US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, who reiterated that otherwise, Washington would be willing to take advantage of the tools they have, such as sanctions “against members of the regime.”
This week the Nicaraguan press reported on some positive steps that the Ortega government would have taken with the international community to start a third national dialogue, in exchange for sanctions being eased as is the case in Venezuela.
The steps, according to the Nicaraguan media, have been some relaxation of the conditions in which the more than 200 political prisoners in the country are found.
Nichols said in this regard that for the moment there has been no rapprochement between Managua and Washington and that contrary to this, “the situation is extremely serious.”
“We are always ready to respond to positive steps and there is an opportunity for them to change their actions to respect the minimum rights of the people, but that starts with them releasing political prisoners in their country.”
“There is a way out: if they release the political prisoners, if they start a dialogue with the opposition and the international community to respect fundamental rights, we are very open to talking with them about it, but ultimately it depends on them. Hopefully there will be a lot of progress in all areas this year”.
After five years of sociopolitical crisis in Nicaragua, the government of President Ortega has allowed the holding of two national dialogues which have failed due to the lack of compliance with agreements, according to opponents.
Former opposition legislator Eliseo Núñez assures that the current economic conditions, where “disbursements in Nicaragua are going down and export prices continue to drop,” Ortega “offers to talk to see if they give him money.”
Núñez reiterates that “the way out” of the political crisis in Nicaragua is dialogue, but adds that “not to repress more.”
“Ortega is excited by what he has seen in Venezuela.”
On the other hand, former Nicaraguan diplomat Arturo McFields told VOA that the Ortega government “is excited by what it has seen that has happened in Venezuela.”
“Ortega is wanting to have a kind of “Maduro combo”, that is, just as Maduro received certain recognitions from the international community (…) ”, says McFields.
The opponent comments that “a dictator like Ortega cannot be trusted” since in his opinion the Nicaraguan president is not willing to democratize the country and release all political prisoners.
“The dictatorship does not understand the language of negotiation but the language of pressure, of sanctions; the pressure above all economic ”, he concluded.
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