Editorial
Arias plan deserves
Reagan's support
President Oscar Arias Sanchez of Costa Rica was award
ed the Nobel Peace Prize Tuesday for developing the recent
ly implemented Central American peace plan, termed the
Arrnrd
The Central American peace plan intends to end guer
rilla wars in Guatemala. El Salvador and Nicaragua. It also
requires cease-fires, amnesties and freedom of press and
assembly to bring greater democracy by Nov. 7.
Reagan, on the other hand, has been attempting to
secure new military aid for the Nicaraguan Contras, despite
the Guatemala Accord’s prescription that •’extra-regional
governments which openly or covertly provide military,
logistical, financial . .aid . .to irregular forces or insurrec
tionist movements. . . cease this aid. as an indispensable ele
ment for achieving a stable and lasting peace in the region.”
The Reagan administration’s attempt to ignore this
prescription coincides with Reagan's criticism of the accord.
Initially. Reagan described the peace plan as "fatally flaw
ed," but he later recanted this opinion, announcing ap
proval despite concerns that it contained "loopholes and
omissions."
By attempting to secure $270 million in renewed
military aid for the Contras, however, the Reagan ad
ministration not only is violating the explicit terms of the
peace accord but also threatening to circumvent peace in
Nicaragua specifically and in (Central America generally.
According to the Reagan administration's argument,
renewed Contra aid would provide a “guarantee” that the
Sandinistas comply with the accord.
Conversely, speaking Tuesday on Nightline, Arias
argued correctly that renewed U.S. military aid to the Con
tras will give Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega an excuse
not to comply with the Guatamala peace accord. Previously.
Arias also urged Congress not to approve new aid to the Con
tras; presumably. Arias' recipience of the Peace Prize will
boost his influence in Congress.
So far. the Sandinista government has complied with
the accord by allowing the opposition newspaper. La Pren
sa. to resume publishing uncensored, implementing a cease
fire in three war-tom regions, and stated its interest to
negotiate with field commanders of the Contras.
But the Reagan administration’s attempts to circumvent
the peace plan do not begin with the attempt to renew Con
tra aid.
When Arias was developing the plan and refusing to
provide the Contras with an operating base in Costa Rica, he
encountered strong retaliatory measures from the Reagan
administration.
U.S. economic assistance to Costas Rica, for example,
was temporarily suspended. The Reagan administration also
has restricted the historically favorable trade status of Costa
Rica, imposing bans and restrictions on exports to the
United States.
The Reagan administration's attempt to sabotage Arias'
efforts also is consistent with the administration's past
policy of impeding efforts toward a peace plan in Central
America.
On June 25-26. 1087, for example, a long-planned
meeting of the Central American leaders to discuss Arias'
peace plan in Guatemala was cancelled after Assistant
Secretary of State for Inter-american Affairs Elliot Abrams
pressured and manipulated both El Salvadorean President
Napoleon Duarte and Honduran President lose Azcona to
pull out. thereby temporarily thwarting the possibilties of an
accord.
The Reagan administration also thwarted the Contadora
negotiating process. The United States promulgated its sup
port for the proposed treaty when Secretary of State George
P. Shultz called it “an important step forward."
On Sept. 21. 1984, however, when the Sandinistas an
nounced they would sign the peace proposal, the ad
ministration all of a sudden found “serious flaws" in it and
pressured El Salvador and Honduras not to sign after both
nations had announced their support of the plan.
Then, in a secret October 1984 memorandum, the Na
tional Security Council virtually admitted to sabotage of the
proposal: “We have effectively blocked Contadora group ef
forts to impose a second draft of the Revised Contradora
Act." Consistently, the U.S. administration has blocked at
temps to achieve peace in Central America.
Since further military aid to “insurrectionist
movements" is against the provisions of Arias' plan, new
contra aid will provide Ortega with a valid excuse to avoid
complying with the Guatemala peace accord.
To end violence in Central America. Congress should
reject the administration's attempt to derail the Arias plan,
heeding the advice of the Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
SO, IS IT THE FRONT
SEAT AND SUPPORT THE
SECRETARY OP EDUCATION,
OR THE BACK SEAT AND
SUPPORT THE SURGEON
GENERAL?
Hfk'
TO,
Letters
Unsettling
The Senate Judiciary Commit
tee. headed by hypocritical Joe
Hiden. and demagogic (demi
god?) Ted Kennedy, spent itself
in an orgy of disgraceful slander
and character assassination.
The nomination of Robert Bork.
who has no intellectual peer on
the committee, is certainly In
doubt. If not finished.
What is unsettling, but not
surprising, is that the campus
cognoscente of political opinion
have slavishly followed the
anti-intellectualism of the
judiciary committee.
Aping the flawed reasoning
and ruthless partisanship of
groups like People for the
American Way, the editors of
the Hmerald and certain faculty
of the law school have denied
Bork the very rights they claim
to uphold.
Freedom of speech is more
than allowing someone to get
up on a soap box in a park and
scream their brains out The
right also implies a person not
having their record or view
points distorted to the point that
what they actually say is effec
tually obscured.
As for the editors of the
Emerald and those law school
professors who signed the let
ter. I suggest you dust off you
pocket Constitutions and get
out your Wests. Ixx>king over
the 120 years of the life of the
14th Amendment. I find that
Judge Bork is far from radical in
his opinions Certainly he
disagrees with Justices Douglas
and Black. But only base
motives would label that
"radical.”
Jude Vollendorf
Student
A success
The Second Annual River
front Picnic was a groat success!
The co-sponsers — the
ASUO. the Survival Center, the
Land. Air and Water (l~AW) and
the Student Cooperative
Association — would like to
thank the musicians Shumba,
Beat Soup and others very much
for their groat musical spirit
We would also like to thank
the following local businesses
for their generous and much
appriciated food donations:
The Bagel Factory, the
Beanery. Cafe Central. Cenesis
Juice Co-op, Hu mix; I Bagel, the
Kestrel Cafe, Monster Cookie,
New Frontier Market, Oasis
Fine Foods, Organically Crown
Co-op. Prince Puckler’s. Sam's
To Go. Springfield Creamery,
Sundance Natural Foods.
Surate Soyfoods, the Tofu
Palace, Vinnie's Pizza,
Wildtime Foods and the many
others who wanted to help but
were unable to at this time.
We would also like to thank
the following individuals
without whose valuable energy
this event would not have
happened'
Kasey Brooks, Nan Cohen.
Kick Gold, Nancy Kincaid.
Katherine l^rsen, Tom Lester
and Mike Walker. Thanks also
to all those people who showed
up to share this wonderful day
and event in the riverfront
natural area (playing fields)
which we are all trying to
protect.
Don't forget the march on Ci
ty Hall to save the Riverfront
this Friday. Oct. 16th. 11:30
a m. in front of the EMU! See
you there.
Dan Stotter
Law
Oregon Daily
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