President Daniel Ortega in Caracas

·         On June 3 2007, <?xml:namespace prefix = u1 /><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega arrived in Caracas for an official working visit. Venezuela and Nicaragua have procured very tight diplomatic and cooperative relations recently. Caracas exports oil to short power Managua to help its plans for development and the reduction of the after effects of civil war and natural calamities.  Venezuela plans to build an oil refinery at Leon, western Nicaragua.

·         President Ortega has backed Venezuelan government decision on RCTV. In his speech at Miraflores -governmental Palace - in <?xml:namespace prefix = u3 />Caracas, President Ortega compared recent student protests with those, which took place in Nicaragua in the early 80´s. Ortega warned they looked very similar.  Moreover, such protests heralded a civil war that caused enormous harm to Nicaragua, he said. Then, Ortega concluded that Washington manipulated Venezuelan students that recently protested the RCTV cancellation. At Miraflores, Ortega signed a declaration of Alba representatives (Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela) supporting the Venezuelan TV and Radio policy and TVES.  

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />·         At home and after just five months in office, President Ortega confronts increasing pressure over corruption allegations against and among  Sandinista Front officials. Lately, he has committed all efforts to make matters clear and properly investigated.  Previous Nicaragua President Enrique Bolaños confronted similar problems with corruption. Despite having declared zero tolerance towards corruption, Bolaños ended his term in January 2007 with seven ministry tainted by it.  ·         Other legs of Ortega’s  tour include Libya, Algeria, Iran and Italia.

 

Sources:

El Universal La Prensa VTV Radio Nicaragua Globovision  Aljazeera  El Nuevo Diario Telesur  RNV