US imperialism aims
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Stephane, Imprimerie Rotographie, 2,
The simultaneous timing of the aerial bombardments launched from Costa Rica by the ARDE and Honduras by the ex Somozaists of the FDN is a sign of the progress made by US imperialism and the CIA in co-ordinating the different coun ter-revolutionary fronts. Another example of this is the simultaneous attack on the Penas Blancas post on the Costa to strangle Nicaraguan revolution Vincent KERMEL American imperialism is tightening grip on Central America. Under the pretext of joint military maneuvres Honduras, the Reagan administration has stationed thousands of American GIs, dozens of war ships and hundreds of American aircraft around Nicaragua.
The Big Pine II" manoeuvres have thus been an opportunity to increase the imperialist blockade. The latest actions of the counter-revolutionaries on Nicaraguan territory also illustrate what the imperialists are after. This aim of worsening the social and economic situation in Nicaragua, and weakening its defence capacity is a constant feature in the policy of the United States.
There was a step-up in this campaign at the beginning of September, with the entry into action of counter-revolutionary aircraft, which bombed the international airport at Managua, the port of Corinto, and the residential neighbourhood of the capital where the minister for foreign affairs, Miguel d'Escoto, lives.
These aggressive actions were launch-
Costa Rica, and claimed by the Revolutionary (ARDE) led by the traitor Eden Pastora. Other such attacks were launched from Honduras, to the north of the country, by the Democratic Forces of Nicaragua (FDN). Former major of the Somozaist airforce, Roberto Amado Narvaez, shot down during one of these bombing raids, confirmed that the objective of the FDN was to 'carry on aerial resupply in October of the strike forces operating on Nicaraguan territory so that they can mount attacks on the towns in November, and move towards Managua in December.' (Agence Nueva Nicaragua, Managua, Oc-
Narvaez also had to admit that Ameriofficers were involved in training the counter-revolutionaries, that they got Us aid in supplies. acknowledged that the contras had the use of take-off runways of the Honduran Army as well as a base in El Aguacate -installed by the CIA in the department of Olancho - for their attacks against Nicar-
Rican border, and the El Espino one on the Honduran border, at the end of September.
The aim of these actions was to block the Pan-American Highway that crosses Nicaragua. There again, the desire to stifle the country economically is clearly an objective of the military tactics of the
The hundreds of contras who have infiltrated Nicaraguan territory limit themselves to ambush and sabotage opcomplicity of the government authorities and the Rural Guard of Costa Rica has become obvious during the last
It has even been partially acknowledged by Colonel Rigoberto Badilla himself, head of the Costa Rican Rural Guard (cf Agence Nueva Nicaragua, October 1, 1983).
The Costa Rican government has nonetheless taken the Nicaraguan response as a pretext for souring diplomatic relations. For example, it has threatened to invoke the Rio Treaty for inter-American assistance against the Sandinista government. This could hardly fit in better with the interventionist plans of US imperialism.
Finally, imperialist pressure on the Nicaraguan economy is also shown by the destruction of the oil depots at Puerto Zeladon on the Atlantic Coast (1.5 million litres) and at Corinto on the Pacific Coast (3.8 million litres). In the latter case the Sandinista authorities had to evacuate 10,000 of the 25,000 inhabitants of the town. The New York Times of October 16, reported that the CIA was directly implicated in planning these
New printshop for Barricada
Since US financial pressure has not succeeded in forcing Mexico to suspend oil deliveries to Nicaragua, as Venezuela has done, the CIA is now sending com-
Six days after the overthrow of the dictator Somoza on July 19, 1979, the first issue of Barricada was produced by the FSLN in the fomer offices and printshop of the Somoza daily Novedades. Since then its resources have remained modest, and there have been daily difficulties. For a long time the bourgeois daily La Prensa sold better than Barricada.
There are many difficulties in the operation of the printship. First of all, there is a lack of qualified skilled workers, as is the case throughout industry. Many were hostile to the revolution and left the country along with the bour-
Materials are very old and worn-out, lots of machines are out of order and difficult to repair. Most come from North America and the replacement parts would be very expensive.
The Barricada printshop would like to change its equipment, buying new, preferably European, machines, and training its workers on this modern equipment.
The Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire, French section of the Fourth International, has, in consultation and agreement with the comrades who run the Barricada printshop, decided to launch this campaign and organise it together with its own printshop, Rotographie. Other sections of the Fourth International intend to participate in this campaign, particularly the comrades of the Swiss section, the Workers Socialist Party (PSO/SAP/LSO).
This campaign was launched publiely on October 13, during an LCR meeting in Paris, where a first collection was made.
rue Richard Lenoir, 93108 mandos to sabotage the installations in Nicaraguan ports. At the same time, the FDN is threatening to destroy the vessels that deliver the oil.
These actions, combined with American surveillance of the Nicaraguan coasts, intensify the imperialist blockade. The objective is not simply to increase the economic and social difficulties of the Sandinista revolution. It is also to restriet the Sandinistas mobility and capac ity for response on the level of military defence. This is to allow the contras to move on to another stage in their activity - or even to prepare the ground for a direct imperialist intervention.
International solidarity is now more than ever an urgent task. The peoples under attack desperately need support to combat the economic war and military aggression organised by the imperialists and their allies against the Nicaraguan and Central American revolution.