Daniel Ortega Proposes Referendum on U.S. Multi-Million Dollar Debt

Nicaragua’s president, Daniel Ortega, recently proposed a referendum to allow the Nicaraguan people to decide whether to charge the U.S. compensation for the dirty war against the central American nation.

The head of state made the proposal during a marked speech at the closing of a commemoration ceremony for the 32nd anniversary of the Popular Revolution of 1979 and the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Sandinista National Liberation Front.

There was mass participation in the ceremony from the Nicaraguan people, primarily from young people, who applauded the Sandinista leader’s proposal.

In June of 1986, the International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled in favor of the suit from Managua and sentenced the United States to compensate Nicaragua for the damages caused in the country during its attempts to overthrow the Sandinista government that had arisen through a popular victory in 1979 against the Somoza tyranny.

The court did not specify a dollar amount, but Nicaraguan calculations estimate that repayment for the damages caused by Washington would total around $17 billion by today’s monetary standards.

Consecutive governments from the United States have failed to carry out the sentence from the United Nations court, which is not recognized by Washington.

The matter re-emerged last month in June, on the 25th anniversary of The Hague’s ruling, after the U.S. ambassador to Nicaragua, Robert Callahan, confirmed on many occasions the U.S. refusal to settle the debt.

President Ortega, after proposing the referendum, did not specify a date and merely pointed out that he would do it, “in time.”