Nicaragua Rejects Honduran Offer to DemarcationNicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman said Tuesday that his country rejected Honduras' invitation to border demarcation, Nicaraguan press reported.During the meeting of Central American presidents on February 16 in Managua, Honduran Vice President William Handal invited Nicaraguan authorities, international and regional organizations, and also journalists, to visit the border area to gain evidence of Nicaragua's denunciation. Nicaragua's leader indicated that his government will not take part in any border verification. "I don't have to verify anything;" what will be asked for is " the fulfillment of what has been already signed," reiterated the leader. He said Honduras must fulfill accords signed in Miami, United States, in the year 2000, under the sponsorship of the Organization of American States, with the intention to prevent military conflicts between both countries due to the Caribbean Sea border dispute. Aleman said comments made by Nicaragua's Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry and army, that Honduras is reinforcing its military and practicing military maneuvers is a clear violation of accords and "very true." Aleman also said he will meet his Honduran counterpart, Carlos Flores, during the meeting of Central American presidents in El Salvador. Relations between Nicaragua and Honduras grew tense when Honduras' Congress ratified a sea delimitation treaty in the Caribbean Sea with Colombia which, according to Nicaraguan government, cuts off 130,000 square kilometers of its continental platform. Both Central American countries signed accords to stop confrontations, including an accord in Miami that said artillery of their respective armies should stand 23 kilometers from the common border and tanks at about 50 kilometers. |
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