President Daniel Ortega stated on March 10 that Nicaragua reserves the right to reopen its 1980s lawsuit against the United States before the International Court of Justice at The Hague (World Court). The US did not recognize and never complied with the Court’s 1986 ruling that it was illegal for the US to mine the harbor at the Port of Corinto and to prosecute the Contra War to overthrow the Sandinista Revolution. The World Court ordered the US to pay reparations, estimated at that time to be US$17 billion. Ortega said that in today’s dollars that would be US$58 billion. The administration of President Violeta Chamorro said it was withdrawing any claim to compensation in order to receive foreign assistance from the United States, but never officially informed the Court of that decision. Ortega said the lawsuit could be refiled if US President Barack Obama wins a second term. (Radio La Primerisima, Mar. 10; Inside Costa Rica, Mar. 13)
Nicaragua Network, News Bulliten 3.15.2011