Nicaragua rejects Somoza return

The Nicaraguan president, Arnoldo Aleman, has criticised plans by the son of the former military ruler, Anastasio Somoza, to return to the country.

Mr Aleman said he rejected the planned visit by the son -- Colonel Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero -- because he was considered responsible for much of the bloodshed and suffering to have occurred in recent Nicaraguan history.

Mr Aleman's comments follow similar criticism by opposition Sandinista leaders, who have warned that the Colonel Somoza's return could provoke instability and violence.

Colonel Somoza has been living in exile since 1979, when the Sandinista revolution ended fifty years of rule by his family.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service