I recently received a letter from Quest For Peace that contained some very disturbing news about Nicaragua. It is imperative that those of us who support the unfortunate people suffering from lack of food, lack of economic well being and a most repressive government led by President Aleman, be able to send containers of aid to the people of Nicaragua. Those containers are impounded. Quest For Peace participates in sending container shipments that aid 40,000 to 50,000 Nicaraguans who live on the margin of survival.

The Nicaraguan government has changed the rules without warning and suddenly have impounded more than twenty containers of aid, including four from Quest for Peace. In their letter to Quest for Peace the following justification was given: "The initial justification of the new policy was that the Quest/Quixote Center, although a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, is not a 'foundation', and only donations from 'foundations' would be tax exempt." Then the Vice-Minister of Finance said that only "'government to government' shipments of aid will be exempt from taxation in the future."

"The government of President Aleman is demanding that import duties be paid on all incoming donated aid, including the impounded supplies. The proposed fees are arbitrary and exorbitant. For example, a tax of $11,500 is demanded for a Quest [for Peace] shipment of donated shoes insured for $2,750. Officials assigned an amazing $10,000 tax, or 118 per cent, on the 4th Quest [for Peace] 'El Nino' rice container of emergency food aid for the poor purchased for $8,500!!"

If Quest For Peace fails to pay the tax, the government is threatening to seize the supplies and force an auction. The 5th El Nino rice container is ready to go. Agway has a container of vegetable seeds in the offering. A Quest For Peace container of school supplies is ready. A container of clothing has had to be refused. Connecticut Quest for Peace has 75 computers as part of its November containers. The list of containers ends with this dire warning: "With the Latin American economies further undercut by the collapse of the stock market, supplies for the poor of Nicaragua take on special importance."

A document exists entitled "PLC Strategy 2000" in which the government of Aleman's Liberal Party [misnamed] seeks to assure control for the next twenty years. The letter quotes from the document: "Procure the weakening and even rupture of the links between the FSLN and its bases of support....the economic and financial oxygen that these groups receive from an array of non governmental organizations (NGOs). The majority of them close to the FSLN, should be cut." (Published in Envio , May 1997 pp. 34-36).

Emerging information calls for charges of religious discrimination:

1. Whereas supplies sent through the warehouse associated with Cardinal Obando and the Catholic Diocese of Managua are flowing freely, duty-free, supplies for CEPAD (the agency that handles material aid shipments for the national network of Protestant/evangelical churches in Nicaragua) have been blocked since June.

2. The letter from the Vice-Minister of Finance, saying that Quest containers are no longer tax-exempt, notes that President Aleman's daughter has tax-exempt status for her social projects. He "suggests" that the Institute of John XXIII might resolve the impasse by contacting her shipping coordinator and offering to donate the supplies to her or "work out some arrangement that is in the interest of both parties".

The behavior of the Nicaraguan government is despicable as it has slashed food aid for the poor, social services and jobs. The letter continues: "We will not be surprised if the next step is to seek control of all international funding for development programs."

ACTION: You can help reverse these actions by:

Contacting your Senators and Representatives and asking them to intervene. Enclose a sample letter. Send Quest For Peace a copy of your letter.

Quest For Peace, Quixote Center, P.O.Box 5206, Hyattsville, MD 20782.