Can a Cease-Fire Become Peace?
Suddenly and seasonably, peace and hope bloom in Nicaragua. On Wednesday the Sandinistas and contras backed away from avowed demands and signed a 60-day cease-fire, beginning April 1. On the crucial question of outside aid during this period, the contras agreed to seek only clothes and food, and get it from a neutral agency, not the C.I.A. The Sandinistas agreed to let the rebels keep their arms. And this deal was cut by supposed hard-liners, the contra leader Adolfo Calero and the Sandinista Defense Minister, Humberto Ortega. It appears that the contras are more reasonable than their patrons in the Reagan Administration. Now it is up to Administration officials, who say they are skeptical of the pact, to help it along -or to once again undermine settlement talks. Agreed: A cease-fire is not peace. But it is the vital precondition for a settlement consistent with the regional peace plan. Managua promises to release prisoners and assure press freedom during a ”national dialogue” that
