Posted on 02/22/2005 8:33:01 PM PST by NormsRevenge
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) - A U.S. government delegation worked Tuesday to convince Nicaragua to destroy about 1,000 surface-to-air missiles left over from the 1980s Contra war.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher confirmed that a U.S. team was in the Nicaraguan capital to renew efforts to have the portable SAM-7 missiles destroyed.
The team's leader, Rose Likins, the acting assistant secretary for political and military affairs, did not comment as she arrived in Nicaragua.
U.S. officials have been trying to convince Nicaragua to give up the missiles, which were supplied by the Soviet Union when the former Sandinista government was battling U.S.-backed Contra rebels. The Sandinistas left power in 1990.
About 1,000 of the Nicaraguan missiles have been destroyed, and Boucher said the United States wants to see the remainder also destroyed "so that they do not fall into the hands of criminals and terrorists."
He did not comment on a Wall Street Journal report Tuesday in which an unidentified U.S. official was quoted as saying the U.S. might consider Nicaragua's army a criminal organization if it failed to give up the weapons. The State Department said Tuesday "there has been no decision by the United States to change the existing relationship with the Nicaraguan military."
Nicaraguan soldiers guard Sam-7 surface-to-air missiles in El Papalonal, Nicaragua, some 150 kilometers (93 miles) northeast of Managua in this July, 2004 file photo. U.S. officials arrived Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2005 to convince Nicaragua to destroy about 1,000 Soviet-era portable missiles as a court imposed light sentences on men accused of trading in such a weapon.
We can thank our Demorat friends in Congress for that. In the 1980's, in order to defy President Reagan(sound familiar?) they got together to write a letter of support to Nicaraguan Strongman Daniel Ortega,who was armed and supported by the Soviet Union, that began: "El Commandante".
Anybody remember?
The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Oh for crying out loud. Quit playing games and just purchase them from Nicaragua. It's a small investment for our air security.
Let them have'em. All the eletronics/batteries are probably dead or so corroded to the point you might be able to stick a cannon fuse in one and see it fizzle.
Exactly right.
The weapons (and any other "advanced" weapon for that matter) require careful maintainence and storage. After 20+ years, in an azz-backward country like Nicaragua, I'd be surprised if you could get more than 5% to even fire - let alone actually guide to a target.
Plenty of humidity also.
That is a good point and a distinct possibility depending on how they were stored or maintained.
Obviously Central America is not a very hospitable environment for high tech weaponry.
You don't hear much about stingers still being out there either.
Ah, the old Bolen amendment rears it's ugly head.....
I remember. It was the "Dear Commandante" letter.
With how the solid rocket fuel decays in those things, even if you replace the batteries, the bloody thing might explode on launch or shortly after launch - thus ruining the user's day.
Same reason why random Stingers don't seem to be turning up much, as you say.
No problem here. The SA-7 "Grail" MANPAD (Man Portable Air Defense) was a piece of crap when it was NEW, so I don't think we have to worry about leftover Soviet Era ones. Even our Redeye (predates the Stinger, Redeye was our MANPAD during the Cold War, and was technologically superior to the SA-7 "Grail")only had an initial shelf-life of 10 years (updated to 20, I believe, but with mixed results on test-firing), and that is with more advanced and environmentally controlled storage than the wogs down in Central America could provide.
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