Bush congratulates new Nicaraguan President Ortega

[matcom]

<snip>

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush congratulated by telephone once bitter U.S. foe Daniel Ortega on his election as Nicaraguan president, the White House said on Monday.

Ortega won the November ballot despite American support for his opponent. He led the 1979 Marxist revolution there and his Sandinistas spent years fighting a civil war against U.S.-backed Contra rebels.

After his election, Ortega slammed the United States for the Iraq war and is close to other Latin American leaders who have been critical of the Bush administration, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Cuba's Fidel Castro.

During the call, Bush and Ortega discussed areas of cooperation, including the Central American Free Trade Agreement and the U.S. Millennium Challenge Account which aids developing free-market democracies, said White House National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2007-01-08T202313Z_01_N08273923_RTRUKOC_0_US-NICARAGUA-ORTEGA-BUSH.xml

[endarkenment]

1. Mr. Stinky: "I congratulate President Allende, er I mean Ortega

on his victory".

[arcos]

2. Allende would spin in his grave if compared to Ortega... nt

[David__77]

4. I don't know if I'd go that far.

Allende was a Marxist certainly and would reject Ortega's pandering to clericalism and reactionary ideology, but he was also "moderate" as compared with the Chilean MIR, which is probably more aligned with pre-1990 FLSN ideology.

[endarkenment]

6. At any rate my snarky stupid point

was that Presidunce Stinky has probably been told that Operation Repeat Chile Only This Time In Nicaragua Rather Than Venezuela And Try To Get It Right, is already in progress.

[David__77]

7. Really?

I don't think they will try to remove Ortega unless he "gets out of line." And it is entirely unclear he will do so. He seems to have embraced subservience to foreign capital. Maybe it's tactical subterfuge - I don't know. I would think a coup would simply grow and radicalize opposition to US domination.

[endarkenment]

8. They didn't start with a coup, they started with economic destabilization

And you are correct, they will probably wait to see how compliant Ortega rev 2.0 is before they actually start anything.

[kskiska]

3. Ollie North flew to Nicaragua trying to prevent Ortega's election

but BushCo made him cease and desist, and return home.

[Judi Lynn]

11. Creepy, isn't it? He must have NOT been as welcome as rain there,

all these years and slaughtered citizens later.

_{Jeb Bush} did his best to butt in before the election, as well. It will be a miracle if our right-wingers ever grow up and start living like civilized men and women. Long past time they developed some dignity in their conduct.

[High Plains]

5. Ooh, that must have hurt. Suck it up, Bush.

[Jack Rabbit]

9. It's easy for Bush to say that

1. We know he doesn't mean it; and
2. We know he is a habitual liar.

[Judi Lynn]

10. Bush Looks to Cooperate With Nicaragua

Bush Looks to Cooperate With Nicaragua
Associated Press 01.09.07, 8:19 AM ET

President Bush called Nicaraguan President-elect Daniel Ortega, a one-time leftist firebrand, and said the two countries should be able to cooperate in such areas as reconciliation, democracy, and job creation.

Ortega, who fought U.S.-backed rebels as Nicaraguan leader during the 1980s, took the call on Monday, two days ahead of his formal installation for his second tour as president.

Bush also called outgoing President Enrique Bolanos to thank him for his service. Bolanos has been friendly toward the United States.

The administration has welcomed the more moderate image Ortega has been projecting compared with the period two decades ago when, as president, his best friend was Fidel Castro and his favored garb was military fatigues.
(snip/...)

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/01/09/ap3312609.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Russia delegation to attend Nicaragua president inauguration

09.01.2007, 08.48

MOSCOW, January 9 (Itar-Tass) - Russia’s delegation with Chairman of the Audit Chamber Sergei Stepashin in the head on Tuesday departed for Central America in order to attend a ceremony of inauguration of Nicaragua’ s President-Elect Daniel Ortega. Director of the foreign relations department of the Audit Chamber Nikolai Paruzin told Itar-Tass ahead of the delegation’s flight to Nicaragua that “aside from attending the inauguration of the Nicaraguan president-elect, the Russian delegation will hold several meetings with the Central American republic’s officials, public figures and business community.

According to Paruzin, “At the concluding stage of the visit, the Russian delegation plans to hold a meeting with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.”
(snip/...)

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11139344&PageNum=0