One prominent Contra commander, however, was ex-Sandinista hero Edén Pastora, aka "Commadante Zero," who rejected the Leninist orientation of his fellow comandantes.

Contra commanders dismiss as a trap the accord reached in El Salvador this week by five Central American presidents, including Daniel Ortega Saavedra of Nicaragua.

Contra commanders and soldiers denounce the treaty as nothing more than a Nicaraguan trick to remove the only force that could compel the Government to democratize.

Contra commanders acknowledge that the desertion rate has been climbing and that about 2,000 rebels have left camp.

Critics of the Contras also alleged that Bermúdez was one of several figures who had been engaged in cocaine and other drug-running as a Contra commander.

Contra commanders can also coordinate their separated units to mount assaults far from their bases.

Contra military commanders, visiting Washington, said today in interviews that if the five Central American presidents adopt a plan calling for their demobilization before February, they would infiltrate back into Nicaragua.

Contra commanders said about a third of their troops, which numbered more than 22,000, received land.

Contra commanders admit new recruiting has barely kept up with casualties in the now-sparsely populated mountains.

Contra commanders, for their part, assert that the Government has never respected its cease-fire commitments, and has pursued rebel insurgents with near-constant police and military action.