News In Brief

Kissinger talks with chief of Nicaragua guerrillas

Henry Kissinger, in a move certain to anger Nicaragua's leftist rulers, has met with one of the leaders of a guerrilla group fighting to overthrow the Nicaraguan government.

Tuesday night's meeting, with Alfonso Robelo of the Costa Rica-based Revolutionary Democratic Alliance, came as a surprise and contradicted earlier statements that Mr. Kissinger and his commission on Central America would not meet with any insurgents during their tour of the region.

A surge of violence has greeted the commission's tour. In Nicaragua, a huge fire raged out of control in Corinto Wednesday, following an attack by right-wing insurgents on Monday. The authorities ordered total evacuation of the major port city. In El Salvador, where the commission arrived on Wednesday, rebel guerrillas said they had stepped up their fight against the government because of the visit.