Latin and European Diplomats Reaffirm Contadora Support

GUATEMALA CITY —  Diplomats from 21 Western European and Latin American nations strongly reaffirmed their support Tuesday for the Contadora effort to find peace in Central America.

In a joint statement issued at the close of their two-day conference, the diplomats also rejected the use of force as a means of settling the region’s problems.

“We reaffirm, once again, our common conviction that peace cannot be reached by force and the diplomatic effort of the Contadora Group and its support group represents the Latin American option for the search for solutions to the regional crisis,” the statement said.

Miguel D’Escoto, Nicaragua’s foreign minister, called the statement by the European Communities, the Central American nations and the eight nations of Contadora and its support group “a significant advancement.”

Asked at a closing news conference if the Europeans felt uneasy about embracing a Contadora plan that the United States has increasingly criticized, Leo Tindemans, Belgium’s foreign minister, replied:

“We were not bothered by what other people thought.”

The Contadora negotiations began four years ago, with Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Panama playing the roles of mediators. They were joined in that effort last year by Peru, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.