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US, Nicaragua Head for Conflict Over Old Missiles

By on Tuesday, February 6th, 2007

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, The United States told Nicaragua on Feb. 5 to destroy Soviet-era anti-aircraft missiles, setting up its first fight with old Cold War foe President Daniel Ortega since he returned to office last month.

Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla, said on Feb. 2 that Nicaragua should keep its arsenal of more than 1,000 SAM-7 missiles because Washington was giving planes to neighbor Honduras.

The United States says it has given Honduras money to buy eight light aircraft to detect drug smugglers and help in natural disasters.

"The U.S. government hopes Nicaragua will continue down the path it has begun of disarmament and destruction of the SAM-7 missiles," the U.S. Embassy in Managua said in a statement posted on its Web site,
To placate Washington, which says the shoulder-fired missiles could be used by terrorists against airliners, Nicaragua destroyed 1,000 missiles in 2004 out of the 2,000 donated by the Soviet Union when Ortega


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