We’ll look for other markets-Sandinists

Press, 3 May 1985, Page 6

We’ll look for other markets-Sandinists

NZPA-Reuter Managua

Nicaragua will look to other markets for its exports after President Ronald Reagan’s decision to impose an embargo on United States trade with the Left-wing country, said the Vice-President, Sergio Ramirez.

He said the priority would be to seek new markets for meats, seafood, bananas and tobacco.

He said the private sector would be hit the hardest because industries would be unable to buy spare parts for machines and farms would not be able to buy pesticides and fertilisers needed for coffee, cotton

and other export crops. Nicaraguan trade with the United States has steadily declined since the Leftwing Sandinists came to power in a revolution in 1979.

The Reagan Administration accuses the Sandinists of trying to export Marxist revolution to the rest of Central America and has armed, trained and, until the middle of last year, financed a 15,000-strong guerrilla army fighting to topple the Nicaraguan Government.

Mr Reagan’s decision to impose a total trade embargo on Nicaragua followed a Congressional vote against renewing aid to

the guerrillas and has provoked heated debates in Washington. The Nicaraguan President, Mr Daniel Ortega, is on a tour of Eastern-bloc countries where he has received a pledge of economic and diplomatic support from the Soviet Union.

Nicaraguan Opposition leaders yesterday blamed Mr Ortega’s trip for the sanctions. “It’s all the fault of the Nicaraguan Government for aligning itself with the Soviet bloc,” said Agustin Jarquin, leader of the Social Christian Party, which is part of the conservative Democratic Co-ordinator alliance which boycotted last year’s General Elections.