Nicaraguan president-elect Daniel Ortega says he wants to work for a unified Central America. In a speech given in Guatemala City, Ortega says Nicaragua needs new trading partners beyond its neighbouring countries and the United States. He referred to the Mercosur bloc of Brazil,
Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela along with the more leftist Bolivarian pact of Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela.
Needless to say, Ortega's comments won't be welcome in Washington. Reports this week indicate the US may be ready to build a new, permanent airbase in the Mosquitia region of Honduras. It was from this same region that American-sponsored Contra rebels launched attacks on Nicaragua widely believed to have caused the deaths of 30,000 Nicaraguan peasants.
It will be interesting to see how America's military presence in Honduras evolves if Ortega comes to present a real threat to Washington's presence in Central America.
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