Russian warships dock in Nicaragua
Russian ships are scheduled to leave the country on Sunday.
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Sunday, 14, Dec 2008 12:02
Russian warships have docked in the ports of their former Cold War ally Nicaragua.
Last week, the Russian destroyer sailed through the Panama Canal in a move that was seen by analysts as a show of strength in the US' backyard.
The destroyer made the first journey through the international waterway since the Second World War when it conducted exercises with Venezuela, whose president Hugo Chavez is a stern critic of the US, and docked at a former US naval base.
It has now visited Nicaragua, whose leader Daniel Ortega fought against US-backed Contra rebels during the Cold War
Russian ships are scheduled to leave the country on Sunday. Opposition groups in Nicaragua have already voiced concerns over the arrival of Russian ships and questioned if the country's president is authorised to approve the visit.
Russian navy spokesman Capt Igor Dygalo is quoted by the AP news agency as saying that the visit had "no political overtones and was agreed upon ... in adherence to all necessary procedural norms."