ARGENTINA URGES ACTION ON CONTRAS

October 31, 1989

Argentina President Carlos Sa'ul Menem appealed to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega Saavedra Sunday to reverse his decision to lift a cease-fire in the war against United States-backed contra rebels and said he would personally lobby for the contras' demobilization. Central American presidents agreed to demobilize the Honduran-based contras by Dec. 5, but President Ortega rocked the summit by announcing Friday he planned to end a 19-month- old cease-fire in the contra war because a rise in attacks by the rebels was damaging the process leading to elections in February.