Negotiations on Nicaragua do not progress by deadline



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The Wednesday deadline had pbaded without progress after months of negotiations aimed at resolving the deadly political crisis in Nicaragua, with the opposition accusing the government of lacking political will.

Discussions did not stop, however, and both parties could decide to extend the negotiations.

Negotiations between President Daniel Ortega's government and the opposition began on Feb. 27, but met with disagreements over key issues such as the release of political prisoners.

Ortega said Wednesday night that the talks were "complex", but that "agreements have been reached" despite the "extremist" position of some of its opponents.

Opposition negotiators were not in agreement.

"The political will is non-existent on the part of the government," said Juan Sebastian Chamorro, representative of the civic opposition, before the resumption of negotiations.

One of the main stumbling blocks is the fate of people who participated in violent anti-government protests, many of whom are under arrest.

A year of political upheaval has caused hundreds of deaths in this Central American country.

Government and opposition delegations reached an agreement Friday on the restoration of the rights of protest and press freedom and the disarmament of pro-government paramilitaries.

However, police dispersed a demonstration in Managua the next day, demanding the release of political prisoners, wounding four people and arresting ten people, the opposition said.

The government has also rejected a proposal by the opposition to invite prominent human rights organizations to vouch for any agreement.

The crisis began last April when the demonstrations, initially against the pension reform now abandoned, turned into calls for the removal of Ortega.

The protesters accused him and his wife of instituting a dictatorship characterized by nepotism and the brutal repression of the opposition and independent media.

The unrest has left more than 300 dead, 2,000 injured and 52,000 exiles, human rights groups said.

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