US Bribes Nicaragua - Land Returns to Oligarchs

by **proldic** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 12:44 pm

5 August 2005 Source: <a href="http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/fr-cont.html">www.access.gpo.gov/su_doc...-cont.html</a> [Federal Register: August 2, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 147)] [Notices] [Page 44421-44461] Millennium Challenge Corporation Notice of Entering Into a Compact With the Government of the Republic of Nicaragua SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 610(b)(2) of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 (Pub. L. 108-199, Division D), the Millennium Challenge Corporation is publishing a detailed summary and text of the Millennium Challenge Compact between the United States of America, acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Government of the Republic of Nicaragua. Representatives of the United States Government and the Republic of Nicaragua executed the Compact documents on July 14, 2005. Dated: July 28, 2005. Jon A. Dyck, Vice President & General Counsel, Millennium Challenge Corporation. Summary of Millennium Challenge Compact With the Republic of Nicaragua I. Introduction Once one of the faster-growing countries in Latin America, Nicaragua fell into a state of severe economic collapse in the 1980s and only began a process of slow macroeconomic recovery in the last few years. Looking toward the future, Nicaragua now has an opportunity to achieve growth by taking advantage of regional economic integration and trade openings. The recently-approved MCC program (``Program'') will help the country to build the necessary capacity to take full advantage of these opportunities. The Government of Nicaragua (GON) presented MCC with a strategy to achieve economic growth and poverty reduction by building the productive capacity of the departments of Le[oacute]n and Chinandega, a region with proven growth potential due to its fertile land and connection to international markets. After extensive consultations, the Nicaraguans identified insecure property rights, under-developed infrastructure, and low-value rural business activity as the greatest barriers to growth, and developed a proposal to address them with MCA assistance..... The Program has three objectives: Increase investment by strengthening property rights... Increase profits...of farms and enterprises in Le[oacute]n and Chinandega (Rural Business Development Project). The five-year, $175 million Compact will help Nicaragua accomplish these objectives as outlined below. II. Program Overview and Impact 1. Property Regularization Project ($26.5 Million) Insecure property rights, high land transaction costs, and inefficient property registration services undermine enterprise development, investment... the GON is focusing on legal, judicial, and institutional reforms at the national level. At the regional level, the Property Regularization Project will expand to Le[oacute]n an existing World Bank project in Chinandega, Proyecto de Ordenamiento de la Propiedad (``PRODEP''), thereby leveraging PRODEP's implementation experience and structure. Combined, these efforts will lay the foundation for increasing investment and income. The Activities of this Project include: Institutional Capacity Building: Provide technical support to government institutions to implement and sustain tenure regularization reforms in Le[oacute]n. Cadastral Mapping: Conduct area-wide cadastral mapping in Le[oacute]n to obtain current property descriptions to be recorded in a geographic information system. Land Tenure Regularization: Clarify land tenure, resolve disputes, and improve formal documentation of property rights. Database Installation: Link municipal and national registry and cadastral databases. Protected Area Demarcation: Demarcate and legally validate the boundaries... Analysis and Communications: Fund short-term technical assistance, policy analysis and outreach to promote participation in, use and sustainability of the improved property registration system. Benefits: This Project will work to eliminate the institutional and regulatory barriers preventing productive investment in property in Le[oacute]n. Eliminating these barriers will contribute to improving the investment climate, increasing the asset value of land.... 2. Transportation Project ($92.8 Million)... This will help Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador fully realize the benefits of DR-CAFTA.... 3. Rural Business Development Project ($33.7 Million) The activities to be implemented under this Project include: Rural Business Development Services: Expand higher-profit agriculture and agribusiness by providing business development services, disseminating market information, developing improved production techniques... Benefits: These activities will facilitate increases in the production of high-value goods and the profits and wages of...agribusinesses and other non-farm businesses. These increases in profits...will translate into higher disposable incomes of families in the region, reducing the high incidence of poverty. In addition, these activities are expected to generate employment and contribute to a regional economy well-positioned to take advantage of national and international investment and market opportunities.... By the end of the Property Regularization Project, an estimated 70 percent of rural and 50 percent of urban properties (or ~43,000 land parcels) in Le[oacute]n will have more secure, registered titles. Thousands of disputes over property rights will be expected to have been successfully mediated and the costs in time and money of conducting property-related transactions are projected to have been reduced by 50 percent. Together, this more secure investment climate and more efficient registration system will encourage investment... Road upgrades will reduce transportation costs between the region and...international markets... MCA-Nicaragua, a legal entity, will be established to implement the Compact and is the entity ultimately accountable for Program success. This entity will consist of an independent Board of Directors, with central government, local government, and civil society representatives, that will oversee the implementation of the Program. It will also include a technical secretariat staffed with full-time professional staff that will provide daily management of the implementation of the Program. In addition to having observer status on the MCA-Nicaragua Board, MCC will retain approval rights at a number of key decision points during implementation, including key steps in procurements, budgets for Project Activities, major re-disbursements and key personnel decisions. The Rural Business Project will be managed by competitively hired professional staff who will reside in an office (``Rural Office'') located in the region. For the Property Regularization Project, the Compact will fund additional staff and activities within the existing World Bank implementing unit (PRODEP).... . A competitively selected joint venture of international private-sector accounting/consulting firms will serve as the Fiscal/Procurement Agent (Agent) for the Program. The Agent will provide professional services for (1) funds control, disbursement documentation and management, cash management and accounting; and (2) the planning, management and supervision of the procurement processes contemplated under the MCC Program.... Clearer definition of property rights through improved land titles is expected to benefit the economy by increasing the private returns to investments on land, improving the ability to use land to leverage credit, reducing high costs of land-related transactions, and reducing the need for defensive expenditures to protect property rights.... The stimulation of new businesses and investments due to lower transport costs are more difficult to measure, but are likely to increase the economic benefits. Sectors whose ratio of transport costs to production price is relatively high, such as agriculture and agro-processing, are likely to receive new investments as a result of improved infrastructure.... The incentives for people to use and pay for services as well as the costs of services will be appropriate in the local context. Several recent policy reforms (e.g., new cadastre and registry laws) and proposed reforms (e.g., tenure regularization law) will bring about new institutional relationships and operational practices that will more effectively facilitate the process for keeping property records up-to-date. The GON's ability to maintain modern, computerized land records and maps and a well-trained staff will depend on both an adequate public budget and the GON's ability to set and collect fees for services.... The Rural Business Development Project's primary objective is to increase the economic viability of... agribusinesses in the region. Selection criteria for activities funded under the Project will include their potential for self-sustainability. Expanded horticultural production will create economies of scale that reduce the unit costs of inputs and post-harvesting services. The Project is expected to improve rural access to finance...by promoting ``bankable'' business activities.... The proposed Projects complement and supplement efforts by other donors. Nicaragua's Program calls for increasing rural incomes and financing infrastructure. USAID, USDA, the World Bank, the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB), IFAD, NDF, UNDP, and other development agencies are all active in supporting various rural development activities. Work to upgrade the Nicaraguan Pacific Corridor is being funded by the World Bank, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, and the Nordic Fund. In addition, the IDB and World Bank have funded projects to strengthen the capacity of MTI and the Road Maintenance Fund. Further coordination with the larger donor community will include participation by MCC in the Infrastructure and Rural Development Donor Coordinating committees chaired by the GON. The Rural Office also will assist farmers and agribusinesses in the region to gain information on and access to programs sponsored by other donors.... IV. Summary and Conclusion Nicaragua's MCC Program focuses on creating a regional engine for economic growth in the northwestern part of the country by transforming the rural business sector into a high-value, sustainable corridor that is primed for greater trade with regional and international markets. The Program complements economic growth strategies such as The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) and enjoys broad support from civil society. The Property Regularization, Transportation, and Rural Business Development Projects will build the capacity of Le[oacute]n and Chinandega to accelerate the economic transformation from subsistence farming to a demand-driven, market-oriented...business zone.... from cryptome.org

by **proldic** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 8:45 pm

Buyer of SAM-7 Claims He Was Paid by CIA One of the men convicted of selling a SAM-7 surface-to-air missile in Nicaragua, Jorge Ivan Pineda, said he was paid $1,000 by the CIA to buy the weapon and that the whole thing was planned at a meeting in the US embassy in the presence of the US ambassador Barbara Moore on Dec. 23 2004. The head of the Nicaragua Army, Gen. Javier Carrion, said he believes there could be an international campaign to discredit his institution. According to Pineda, two former contras were also present at the meeting at the US embassy. These two men went by the names of "Cascabel" and "Arandu" and were the ones who obtained the weapon, which had never been in possession of the Nicaragua Army but was one of 100 SAM-7 missiles that the US government had given to the contras to fight against the Sandinista government in the 1980s. These weapons have never been recovered and apparently are still in the possession of ex-contra fighters in the northern mountains of Nicaragua. Pineda went on to claim that Silva Clarence, the head of the anti-drug directorate in the National Police force, is really an undercover CIA agent. Those who orchestrated the whole thing, says Pineda, "even asked "Cascabel" and "Arandu" to take a photo of the weapon as proof. This photo would be shown to Bolaños and Moore... Meanwhile, El Nuevo Diario reported unofficial information suggesting that Washington is planning to replace the current US ambassador to Nicaragua, Barbara Moore, with Paul Travelly who worked in the US embassy in Nicaragua during the government of Violeta Chamorro in the early 1990s. It is assumed that Washington is discontented with Moore for failing to unite the anti-Sandinista forces in Nicaragua and is concerned that she would be unable to avoid a Sandinista victory in the 2006 general elections. Meanwhile on Feb. 17, President Enrique Bolaños made a speech outside the site where a new $59.2 million mega US embassy is under construction. US Steps Up Pressure for Destruction of Sam-7s General Omar Halleslevens succeeded Gen. Javier Carrion as head of the Nicaraguan army last week during an intense US government campaign to pressure Nicaragua to destroy its remaining Sam-7 missiles, which number about 1,000 and which comprise Nicaragua's main defense against an air attack. President Bolaños, who presided over the ceremony, declared his "confidence that Halleslevens will demonstrate sufficient patriotic fervor to follow in the footsteps of Javier Carrion" so as to ensure that "the army continues to guarantee the peace in Nicaragua" at the inauguration ceremony. Halleslevens, like his predecessors, was a guerrilla commander during the war against the Somoza dictatorship, and has been in the top command of the army since 1979, including a stint as head of intelligence. Meanwhile, a group of US diplomats headed by Rose M. Likins, Acting Assistant Secretary of the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, prepared for a 24-hour official visit to Nicaragua in order to discuss the Sam-7s, which the US is determined to get rid of. During the visit on Feb.23 Likins and her team met with Gen. Halleslevens and the Minister of Defense Jose Adan Guerra. Gen. Halleslevens said the meeting was "a good opportunity" to speak about the Sam-7 missiles in the army's possession and the strict security measures employed by the institution to ensure the safety of the weapons. Upon her return to the US, Likins announced that the Nicaraguan President had reiterated his promise to destroy the remaining Sam-7 missiles. Any decision about the destruction of the weapons, however, will not be made by Bolaños, but by the National Assembly in accordance with the new arms law passed in recent weeks. Likins went on to say that "the US government is working towards the destruction of Sam-7 missiles all over the world due to the threat they present to civil aviation, being terrorists' preferred type of weapon." Despite saying she was "satisfied" with the outcome of the meetings with the Nicaraguan authorities, Likins stated she is still doubtful that the level of security protecting the missiles is sufficient... ...participants also discussed the need for a plan to destroy all illegal weapons, most of which were supplied by the US to the contras in the 1980s...Funding for the plan will be provided by the US government. (Nicanet)

by **proldic** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 8:11 pm

6 August 2005 [Federal Register: August 5, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 150)] MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION ...Report on Countries That Are Candidates for Millennium Challenge Account Eligibility in Fiscal Year 2006 and Countries That Would Be Candidates but for Legal Prohibitions... Low Income Category 1. Afghanistan 2. Angola 3. Armenia 4. Azerbaijan 5. Bangladesh 6. Benin 7. Bhutan 8. Bolivia 9. Burkina Faso 10. Cameroon 11. Chad 12. China 13. Comoros 14. Congo, Democratic Republic of the 15. Congo, Republic of the 16. Djibouti 17. East Timor 18. Egypt 19. Eritrea 20. Ethiopia 21. Gambia 22. Georgia 23. Ghana 24. Guinea 25. Guinea-Bissau 26. Guyana 27. Haiti 28. Honduras 29. India 30. Indonesia 31. Iraq 32. Kenya 33. Kiribati 34. Kyrgyzstan 35. Laos 36. Lesotho 37. Liberia 38. Madagascar 39. Malawi 40. Mali 41. Mauritania 42. Moldova 43. Mongolia 44. Morocco 45. Mozambique 46. Nepal 47. Nicaragua 48. Niger 49. Nigeria 50. Pakistan 51. Papua New Guinea 52. Paraguay 53. Philippines 54. Rwanda 55. Sao Tome and Principe 56. Senegal 57. Sierra Leone 58. Solomon Islands 59. Sri Lanka 60. Tajikistan 61. Tanzania 62. Togo 63. Turkmenistan 64. Uganda 65. Ukraine 66. Vanuatu 67. Vietnam 68. Yemen 69. Zambia Lower Middle Income Category 1. Albania 2. Algeria 3. Belarus 4. Brazil 5. Bulgaria 6. Cape Verde 7. Colombia 8. Dominican Republic 9. Ecuador 10. El Salvador 11. Fiji Islands 12. Guatemala 13. Jamaica 14. Jordan 15. Kazakhstan 16. Macedonia 17. Maldives 18. Marshall Islands 19. Micronesia, Federated States of 20. Namibia 21. Peru 22. Romania 23. Samoa 24. Suriname 25. Swaziland 26. Thailand 27. Tonga 28. Tunisia 29. Tuvalu Countries That Would Be Candidate Countries but for Statutory Provisions That Prohibit Assistance... 1. Bosnia and Herzegovina is subject to Section 561 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2005 (``FY 2005 Appropriations Act''... 2. Burma is subject to Section 570 of the FY 1997 Foreign Operations Act which prohibits assistance to the government with certain narrow exceptions...In addition, Burma has been identified as a major drug-transit or major illicit drug producing country... 3. Burundi.. 4. Section 554(b) of the FY 2005 Appropriations Act prohibits assistance to the central Government of Cambodia, except in specified circumstances. 5. The Central African Republic... 6. The Cote d'Ivoire... 7. Section 507 of the FY 2005 Appropriations Act prohibits direct assistance to Cuba. The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-114) requires the President to take all necessary steps to ensure that no funds or other assistance is provided to the Cuban government. Cuba is also subject to Section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act. 8. Section 507 of the FY 2005 Appropriations Act prohibits direct assistance to Iran. Iran is also subject to Section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act. 9. Section 507 of the FY 2005 Appropriations Act prohibits direct assistance to North Korea. North Korea is also subject to Section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act. 10. Serbia and Montenegro... 11. Somalia is subject to Section 620(q) of the Foreign Assistance Act and Section 512 of the FY 2005 Appropriations Act which prohibit assistance to countries in default in payment to the U.S. in certain circumstances. 12. Sudan is subject to Section 620(q) of the Foreign Assistance Act and Section 512 of the FY 2005 Appropriations Act which prohibit assistance to countries in default in payment to the U.S. in certain circumstances...Sudan is also prohibited from receiving assistance under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act for not complying with minimum standards for eliminating trafficking and not making significant efforts to comply... 13. Section 507 of the FY 2005 Appropriations Act prohibits direct assistance to Syria. Syria is also subject to Section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act. 14. ...Uzbekistan... 15. Zimbabwe... Countries identified above as candidate countries, as well as countries that would be considered candidate countries but for the applicability of legal provisions that prohibit U.S. economic assistance, may be the subject of future statutory restrictions or determinations, or changed country circumstances, that affect their legal eligibility for assistance... Dated: August 1, 2005. Jon A. Dyck, Vice President & General Counsel, Millennium Challenge Corporation...

US Bribes Nicaragua - Land Returns to Oligarchs

US Bribes Nicaragua - Land Returns to Oligarchs

Buyer of SAM-7 Claims He Was Paid by CIA

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