Dennis Kucinich: “H. Con. Res. 252 expresses the sense of Congress that the Government of the United States should actively support the…”

“H. Con. Res. 252 expresses the sense of Congress that the Government of the United States should actively support the aspirations of the democratic, political, and social forces in the Republic of Nicaragua. I want to say it is possible that my good friend, Mr. Burton, may have already achieved the results that were intended in this resolution. This bill was crafted to address a pact formed by Arnoldo Aleman, former president of Nicaragua of the LCP Party, who had been sentenced to 20 years of house arrest for looting state coffers of $100 million. The pact was with Mr. Aleman and Daniel Ortega, former president of the Sandinista Party. The Aleman-Ortega Pact passed so-called constitutional reforms that weakened the power of the Bolanos presidency. It was in this context, I believe, that H. Con. Res. 252 was introduced. However, I believe the context, perhaps the mere introduction of the bill, helped to bring about a change of the context. In October, days after Nicaragua received a threat from U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick that Nicaragua risked losing $175 million in U.S. aid if President Bolanos were toppled, Bolanos and Ortega agreed to postpone the constitutional reforms until the next president's term begins in 2007. So, again, this may be an example where the mere introduction of a bill helped to bring about the desired change, and I think that Mr.…”