Nicaragua has told the United States it will not destroy all of its Soviet-made surface-to-air missiles, which Washington fears could fall into the wrong hands. Concerned by the whereabouts of missiles dating from the clash between leftist Sandinistas and contra rebels in the 1980s, the United States this week sent a mission to Nicaragua to review President Enrique Bolano's progress on his pledge to find and eliminate them. But after a meeting with the US team on Wednesday, Defence Minister Jose Adan Guerra said not all missiles would be destroyed. "The intention, the clear and firm will of the government is precisely to continue to dispose of the excess missiles while retaining a strategic reserve of 20% of the total so as to not undercut the state's defence capacity," Guerra said.
| So here's the deal, Nicaragua: keep your 20 percent for the state's defense capacity. But keep very close tabs on them, because you're betting your own lives that they're not going to fall into the wrong hands. Not just the population of Managua, mind you, but your lives. |
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