Nicaraguan truce with Contras

Nicaragua declared an immediate truce with the last remnants of the Contra rebels and will promote talks between the guerrillas and negotiators on a demobilisation scheme, Reuter reports from Managua.

The government announcement came a day after church negotiators said the rebels had called for a ceasefire with the army. Some 100 to 200 rebel troops loyal to Jose Angel Talavera, known as 'The Jackal', are surrounded by government troops in the north of the country.