NEW YORK – Nicaragua onTuesday began its tenure as Vice-President of the 59th Session of theGeneral Assembly of the UnitedNations, a post the country was electedto hold last June with the support ofother Latin American nations.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs saidthe position will allow Nicaragua to influencethe agenda of the General Assemblyon areas of interest to Latin America andother countries of the world.Bolaños, who is in the United Stateson a 10-day diplomatic visit, is also lobbyingfor a fifth extension of theTemporary Protection Status (TPS)granted Central American migrants inthe United States following HurricaneMitch in 1998. The fourth extensionof TPS status is set to expire Jan. 5,2005.