Opponents say they'll still picket

 BY SABRINA WALTERS AND YVES COLON
 Herald Staff Writer

 Former Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega on Tuesday apparently canceled his
 scheduled trip this week to Miami, citing recent probes into the country's banking
 system and its upcoming elections, a Sandinista spokesman said.

 The news that Ortega had called off his visit to Miami came after the Hotel
 Inter-Continental in downtown Miami announced it was refusing to allow Ortega to
 stay there because of likely protests from Nicaraguan exiles.

 Ortega was scheduled to address a religious conference Thursday and was to
 remain in Miami through Saturday.

 But developments at home caused him to stay, said Silvio Mora, a Sandinista
 party spokesman. The Nicaraguan Banks Superintendency placed the
 International Bank -- known as Interbank -- under trusteeship Monday after
 uncovering a conspiracy involving bank officials and clients to steal savings. The
 development affected the country's production system, particularly, the coffee
 industry, Mora said.

 Another issue worrying Ortega are the municipal elections slated for Nov. 5, Mora
 said.

 Mora did not comment on possible efforts to file charges against him in the United
 States or plans by local Nicaraguan exiles to protest in Miami.

 Despite the Sandinista announcement, a former Nicaraguan political prisoner who
 has been organizing local protests believes Ortega may still show up.

 ``It's a tactic to throw us off,'' Róger Castaño said. ``In any case we plan to protest
 Thursday -- protest against the evangelists who invited him in the first place.''

 Castaño said Ortega's wife arrived Tuesday.

 Ortega, whose Marxist government ruled Nicaragua for more than a decade, was
 scheduled to ``testify'' at the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International
 World Convention, a California-based organization that brings business people
 together for prayer and fellowship.

 The hotel had expressed earlier that it didn't want Ortega as a guest.

 ``After much consideration and in the best interest of all, the Hotel
 Inter-Continental of Miami has decided not to accommodate Mr. Ortega's
 delegation on this occasion,'' said Israel Kreps, a spokesman for the hotel.

 Richard Shakarian, president of the fellowship organization, said earlier Tuesday
 the group still wants Ortega to speak. It had made arrangements for the Ortega
 family to stay at another hotel, but he would not say which one.

 John de Leon, president of the Miami chapter of the American Civil Liberties
 Union, said the Inter-Continental can decline to accept reservations, but cannot
 prevent Ortega from speaking.

 Many Nicaraguan exile groups had met in Miami Tuesday night to come up with a
 unified strategy to protest Ortega's visit.

 The exiled Nicaraguan community's reaction stunned organizers of the
 conference. Shakarian said he did not realize that wounds caused by the
 Sandinistas were still raw in this community, 11 years after they left power.

 ``Many people in this community have been hurt, some quite badly and we
 recognize that,'' said Shakarian, whose father founded the fellowship 50 years ago
 based on a prophecy from a 12-year-old Russian boy from the family's village in
 Armenia.

 ``I did not realize how deep the hurts were.

 ``I saw Nicaraguans, Sandinistas and Contras, sitting side by side in Nicaragua,
 working together for their spiritual well being. Those wounds have to be healed for
 the nation to achieve its God-given destiny of greatness.''

 With chapters in 160 countries around the world, fellowship directors have traveled
 to Honduras and Nicaragua over the past two years, holding prayer meetings in
 homes, factories, universities and prisons.

 Nicaragua was a special project.

 The goal was to touch someone in every family. They met with President Arnoldo
 Aleman, and later with Sandinistas who were members of the fellowship.

 ``They began to tell me their stories, how they had turned away from violence,''
 said Shakarian, 65.

 He remembers sitting shoulder to shoulder with Ortega when he received a
 prophecy. Shakarian hesitated, but the urge to share his revelation grew stronger.

 Shakarian turned to Ortega and told him, ``Señor comandante, God has a word
 for you. If you see a wrong, don't put your hand forward to try to correct it. If you
 do that, your nation will lose and everyone will lose.''

 The two men then held hands and prayed together.

 ``After we finished praying, he would not let go of my hand,'' recalled Shakarian,
 who then invited the Sandinista leader to Miami to join 3,000 members of the Full
 Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International at their annual conference at the
 Hotel Inter-Continental.

 Ortega accepted the invitation.

 ``I wanted him to come here so the claim of Jesus Christ can be made real in his
 life,'' said Shakarian. ``We have seen what a surrendered life can mean to so
 many people.''

 Shola Dafeta is one of them. A Nigerian who now practices corporate law in
 California, he said he has been enlightened by the testimonies of men who have
 been good role models. Now he teaches other men to become better leaders.

 ``I'm comfortable with them,'' said Dafeta, adding that his first job with a law firm
 came through networking with the fellowship.

 ``My stay in this country has been much more comfortable because of the group.
 They have opened a lot of doors for me.''

 Herald staff writer Sara Olkon and the news agency EFE contributed to this
 report.