Ortega Supports Central American Union
Nicaraguan President-elect Daniel Ortega, making his first official trip outside the country, promised on Tuesday to work toward a unified Central America but also said his country needs new trade partnerships beyond its neighbors and the United States.

After a meeting with Guatemalan President Oscar Berger, Ortega told a news conference, "If we don't unite, we'll sink."

"We have to work toward a union of the Americas, of Central America with the Caribbean and South America," he said. "Meanwhile, let's build the unity of Central America."

The trip is his first abroad since being elected as president on Nov. 5. Political analysts have suggested that by making such a visit before heading to either the U.S. or Venezuela, he could distance himself from the dispute between the two countries.
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The U.S. openly opposed Ortega and Venezuela strongly supported him as a presidential candidate.

Central American leaders have been holding talks aimed at integrating the region by opening borders from Nicaragua to Guatemala. Both countries have also signed a new free-trade pact with the United States.

Ortega said Nicaragua should also embrace other possible trade partners, such as the Mercosur trade bloc, which currently includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, and the left-leaning Bolivarian pact between Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia.

Under the Sandinista leader's rule from 1985-1990, Nicaragua descended into economic chaos under radical economic policies that included property seizures. But Ortega has promised that his new administration will respect property rights and the Central American Free Trade Agreement with the United States, as well as negotiating for a new economic package with the International Monetary Fund.

During his Guatemalan visit, Ortega also sharply criticized the United States' plans to extend a wall along the border with Mexico, saying the U.S. "should work for the unity of the Americas, but taking into account the asymmetries between the countries."