The World - News from Sept. 4, 1987

Nicaragua’s National Assembly passed a law granting limited political and economic autonomy to the ethnic minorities that make up most of the citizens of its Atlantic Coast, the official newspaper Barricada reported. Under the law, which still must be signed by President Daniel Ortega, two elected local councils would have a good deal of day-to-day say in the administration of the sparsely populated Atlantic region, but the Sandinista central government would be in charge of all security matters and have the final say on such matters as public spending and use of the region’s resources. The Miskito and other Indian tribes and English-speaking descendants of African slaves are the principal minorities in the affected region.