Nicaragua aid on way?

The logjam blocking the modest $75 million United States aid package to Nicaragua appears to be breaking up. With the naming of two moderates to the five-member Nicaraguan governing junta, Congress may soon move on the aid package.

The two new junta members -- Rafael Cordova and Arturo Cruz -- are prominent non-Marxist Nicaraguans. They replace Violeta Barrios de Chamorro and Alfonso Robelo Callejas, who resigned in April. Their resignations led to concern that Nicaragua might be slipping toward a one-party state under the Marxist-leaning Sandinista guerrillas.

Speaking on the Senate floor May 19, Sen. Edward Zorinsky (D) of Nebraska called for immediate Senate approval of the House of Representatives' version of the measure in order to get the aid rolling to hard-pressed Nicaragua as soon as possible.