Contras vow to fight despite pact

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras Nicaragua's rebels plan to continue theirfight against the Sandinista government despite a peace accord signedby Central American leaders.

"We are in no way going to lay down our arms," a contraspokesman said Sunday. "The fight goes on."

Later, a spokesman for the leftist rebels in El Salvador saidthey, too, would continue to fight.

The contra spokesman, who asked not to be identified, said therebels would continue their armed struggle while seeking talks withNicaragua for a cease-fire.

The peace accord, signed Friday by five Central American leadersin Guatemala City, calls for cease-fires within 90 days in Nicaraguaand El Salvador and democratic reforms in 150 days with provisionsfor internationally observed elections.

The agreement also calls for an end to outside aid to rebelgroups and an amnesty for guerrillas.

Rebel sources say about 12,000 guerrillas are fighting theSandinistas in Nicaragua and about 3,000 are living in Honduras.

Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry spokesman Alejandro Bendana said thesuccess of a Central American peace plan will depend on "thefundamental support of the United States," as shown by an end to aidfor the contras.

Stepping up pressure on President Reagan, Bendana said the toppriority now is to halt the fighting.

"If we're going to halt the fighting in Central America, thatmeans the United States must halt, in turn, its war againstNicaragua," he said in a television interview.

"The Central Americans have gone as far as they can. We nowneed U.S. concurrence, which is going to make it or break it."

However, Vice President George Bush said, "We are not going toleave the contras twisting in the wind, wondering whether they aregoing to be done in by a peace plan."

Bush said the administration has problems accepting the peaceplan because it is "taking on faith too much what the communistleader Daniel Ortega wanted."

House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Texas) said Sunday that the peaceplan must take precedence over a U.S. peace proposal for the region.

Wright, who helped draft the U.S. proposal, said he and thepresident had agreed that peace in the region was dependent on aCentral American accord.

"From the very beginning, President Reagan and I both emphasizedthat it must be a Central American plan," Wright said in a televisioninterview.

Though many questions remain, the architect of the peace plan,Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez, predicted Nicaragua willbe under "a lot of pressure, moral pressure from the whole world," toaccept and implement its terms.

A cease-fire with the contras, Arias said, would deny theSandinistas "the main excuse" to justify the suppression of civilrights and implementation of policies that have made a "mess" ofNicaragua's economy.