Input: venezuelan president carlos andres perez predicted a serious crisis on the continent if a solution for the central american conflict is not found.  he appealed to "the foreign powers" to halt their intervention in the subregion.    in a news conference broadcast over television for all the country, perez today predicted that the coming central american presidents summit to be held in san jose will fail if what he described as "foreign powers" do not halt military and financial support to the various factions fighting in the convulsed region.    the costa rican, nicaraguan, guatemalan, salvadoran, and honduran presidents will meet in san jose shortly to find a solution to the salvadoran conflict and reactivate the esquipulas ii and tela pacification accords.    "if the foreign powers, be they the united states, cuba, the soviet union, or whatever, persist on disturbing a direct analysis and preventing a friendly agreement between the central american presidents, this summit will come to nothing," perez pointed out.    perez said that the recent farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) offensive in el salvador interfered seriously with the regional pacification process.  he requested that the salvadoran government clarify the death of six jesuits who were murdered by the death squads.    "there is no doubt that the salvadoran crisis occurred at an untimely moment, when things were going so well.  the responsibility for this, however, rests heavily with the fmln and those who gave arms to the rebels so they could carry out so major a military operation," he said.    he added, however, that "the salvadoran government is accountable for what happened to the six jesuits, who were murdered in a lowly and wicked manner. this must be clarified also," he said.    the venezuelan president, who offered to mediate in the salvadoran conflict, said he reported to costa rican president oscar arias, the summit's host, the contents of a letter that the fmln sent to perez, in which the organization proposes a cease-fire with international verification.    perez asked the salvadoran guerrillas to be more flexible because "the fate of all of latin america is at stake."    referring directly to the san jose summit -- he said he was instrumental in choosing costa rica as site for the meeting -- perez assumed an "optimistic yet concerned" stance with regard to the meeting's results.    he finally said: "this san jose summit will make things conform to esquipulas ii and tela if the central american presidents are left alone and particularly if they know that none of them will be backed by any one power with arms or money."

death squads

salvadoran government


Input: investigations continue to determine who placed a car bomb in front of the das (administrative department of security) facilities.    according to the das director, a spanish terrorist and eta (basque fatherland and liberty) member who could have advised the colombians on the preparation of the car bomb has been identified.    das director general miguel maza marquez attended the funeral of his subordinates and fellow workers who were killed as a result of an explosion in front of the das facilities.  at the end of the religious ceremony, gen maza said that he does not rule out the possibility that foreign terrorists participated in the attempt on his life.    (begin recording) (gen maza) there are indications that this could be so, because the methods and system used to fabricate the car bomb lead us to believe that they were experts in this type of activity.  (end recording)    gen maza, with sadness in his eyes, added that he will continue working in the same office where the attack occurred.

colombians

administrative department of security

miguel maza marquez

car bomb


Input: president alan garcia announced that the borders will be reopened.  he said that the results of the measures adopted 15 days ago are positive.  the president called on all businessmen and industrialists not to speculate on prices.  he also reiterated his support for economy and finance minister cesar vasquez bazan, who he said is making great efforts to face the peruvian economic situation.  garcia made these statements after a meeting with the council of ministers.    (begin recording) (unidentified reporter) the border closure measure expires today.  will it be extended?    (garcia) no, the borders were never closed.  we only established some restrictions on the use of transit permits in tacna to prevent an increase of smuggling before the year-end festivities.  the 15-day term of that measure has expired, and it will not be extended.    (reporter) apparently, that measure has not had good results.    (garcia) i think that in general it has yielded positive results because smuggling has probably decreased somewhat.  as you know, a few years ago chile established the iquique free zone where products are sold to peru and bolivia.  thus a stable market of hundreds of thousands of people which daily pass thorough the tacna border with small packages has been established.    we simply restricted the permits they use to bring in a tape recorder or laser disc players.  i understand that smuggling decreased for a few days.  however, that merchandise entered the country by other means.  we cannot impose too many restrictions, but we can ask the customs office and the police to increase their efforts to control excessive smuggling into the country.    (reporter) do you think that the free-market dollar will drop by january?    (garcia) i am sure it will.  last year, like now, the free- market dollar exchange rate increased sharply because companies are paying year-end bonuses and they are converting their profits into dollars. people are taking holiday trips and buying more goods and home appliances.  therefore, the dollar demand and prices have increased.    last year, when the muc (single exchange market) dollar exchange rate was at 500 intis to a dollar, the free-market dollar climbed to 2,000 intis.  later it dropped to 1,000 intis in january. i think that the same thing will happen this year. (passage omitted)    (reporter) there have been some rumors in the past few days that the economy minister is about to resign or is being pressured to resign.  is this true?    (garcia) the only person who could pressure him is the president of the republic, and i can tell you that i am not pressuring him.  we acknowledge the current difficulties of the peruvian economy as well as the efforts of the economy minister.  i express my recognition of and support for the economy minister because he is young, well-intentioned, and very honest; he has progressive ideas.  he is making every effort possible to stabilize the economy as well as possible, and he sponsored a democratic transition after the elections.    (reporter) today did the council of ministers discuss a wage increase for this month?    (garcia) that point must be defined by the economy and labor ministers.  today, in addition to the border issue, we discussed a subject we had talked about a few weeks ago.    on that occasion i listened to a report from the so-called commander huaihuacu.  he is chief of some 85 peasant communities along the apurimac river which have rebelled against shining path control. the apurimac river separates the ayacucho and cusco departments, and these peasants live in an area called oreja de perro in la mar province.  they have carried out a democratic uprising and organized themselves to keep shining path from entering their communities.    this so-called commander huaihuacu, who is a man of action, has organized approximately 85 communities on the banks of the apurimac river, in ayacucho province of la mar and the cusco district of charate.  huaihuacu has come to lima seeking support.    we have decided with the defense ministry to go tomorrow to rinconada baja area in la mar province, shining path's primary area of activity for 10 years.  there i will dedicate a radio station to be called radio democracia. its aim will be to broadcast news and democratic and patriotic messages from that area which is a center of peasant resistance against terrorism.    we will arrive there tomorrow and talk with the peasant leaders who for years have fought shining path together with our navy infantry units stationed in luisiana and san francisco. (passage omitted) (end recording)


Input: the electric and light company of el salvador, caess, has reported that due to the terrorist sabotage against the electric system, the company has rationed the electricity for a 5-hour period in different zones of the capital.    caess units have toured the capital and, as 7 december, they had not found any destroyed pole.  therefore, the damage has been caused in the country side.  the rationing of electricity on 8 december was as follows: the sector of escalon, san benito, planes de rendero, san jacinto, san marcos, and other neighborhoods had no electricity between 0800 and 1300.  the miramonte neighborhood, metrocentro, northern highway up to matrices frosty, la tiendona, concepcion street, san joaquin neighborhood, and soyapango residential areas had no electricity between 1300 and 1800.  san miguel, la union, san francisco gotera, and san francisco de lima are supplied electricity through the san miguel emergency plan.    according to caess spokesmen, the institution is working with only 50 percent of its capacity in the capital.

electric system


Input: a public opinion poll conducted by the a.m.s. company (not further identified) among the salvadoran public on 5 and 6 december reveals the salvadoran people's outright repudiation of the fmln (farabundo marti national liberation front) terrorist offensive.    according to sources close to the labor union sector, the a.m.s. company, which has been working in el salvador for many years, specializes in public opinion polls that enjoy great respect and credibility because of their efficiency, accuracy, and reliability.    the poll's results show clear and strong support for the role the salvadoran government and the armed forces have played.  at the same time, the poll reveals a clear rejection of the damage inflicted by terrorism and the possible participation of the fmln in the murders of the fenastras (salvadoran workers national union federation) leaders and the jesuit priests.    despite all the suffering resulting from the sneaky, subversive attack and in accordance with their yearning for peace, the majority of the salvadoran people believes the dialogue process must continue.    in response to a question as to how they would rate the salvadoran armed forces' role, 37 percent of the people characterized it as excellent; 44 percent as good; 9.3 percent as average; 2.7 percent as bad; 0.3 percent as very bad; and 6.7 percent did not respond.    as to how would they rate the job done by the government, 21.3 percent characterized it as excellent; 54.3 percent as good; 15 percent as average; 2.7 percent as bad; 0.3 percent as very bad; and 6.4 percent did not respond.    as to how would they describe president cristiani's performance, 29 percent said excellent; 51.3 good; 11 percent average; 1.3 bad; 0 percent very bad; and 7.4 percent did not respond.    when asked who they thought was responsible for the breaking of the dialogue, 63 percent said the fmln; 5.7 percent said the armed forces; 4.3 percent said the government; 22.7 percent said they do not know; and 3.9 percent did not respond.    when asked who they believed was responsible for the fenastras massacre, 26.3 percent said the fmln; 6.3 percent said the armed forces; 3.3 percent said the government; 55.7 percent said they did not know; and 8.4 percent did not respond.    regarding the massacre of the jesuit priests, 26 percent attributed it to the fmln; 7 percent to the armed forces; 5.3 percent to the government; 53.3 percent said they did not know; and 8.4 percent did not respond.    when asked whether the dialogue should continue, 80 percent responded yes; 14 percent said no; 5.7 percent said they did not know; and 0.3 percent did not respond.    regarding the curfew, 29 percent considered it very good; 55.3 percent said it is good; 10 percent said it is neither good nor bad; 5 percent said it is bad; and 0.1 percent did not respond.

farabundo marti national liberation front


Input: colonel rene emilio ponce, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff of the salvadoran armed forces, has said that an all-out persecution campaign against the fmln (farabundo marti national liberation front) terrorist assassins has begun and 25 anti-aircraft missiles have been confiscated.  the high command has ordered an all-out campaign against the terrorists, who have been dislodged from the urban areas and forced into the north of soyapango and south of antiguo cuscatlan.  the officer said that communist assassins have been hard hit because many have been killed and wounded and large amounts of arms and ammunition have been confiscated.    the armed forces reported that 110 terrorists have died during fighting in san salvador's north and southeast areas.  ponce also said that troops have confiscated from the fmln 25 anti-aircraft missiles -- 24 of which were sam-7's -- 915 rifles, 12 carbines, 41 submachineguns and more war materiel.  the salvadoran government has denounced the fact that the nicaraguan regime supplies the fmln terrorists with powerful weapons -- especially surface-to-air missiles -- which so far have missed hitting armed forces airplanes.  ponce added that any terrorist attempts to enter the capital will be neutralized.


Input: in a document on the occasion of the central american presidential summit that opens on 10 december, the general command of the guatemalan national revolutionary unity (urng) today charged that "guatemala is experiencing a grave crisis, " and added that "president vinicio cerezo should no longer conceal it."    in a lengthy document distributed today, the urng reported the "uncontrollable wave of violence and the violation of human rights. in only 3 months, the press has reported the discovery of 137 bodies, most of them with signs of torture, 79 people who were arrested but who have disappeared, 23 people killed in massacres, and 143 assassinations."    the urng asked that "the presidents attending the san jose summit to analyze the case of guatemala, which is as serious as that of el salvador or nicaragua."    the document is signed by commanders rolando moran, pablo monsato, gaspar ilom, and carlos gonzalez, secretary general of the organization (as received;bureau files show gonzalez is secretary general of the guatemalan labor party, a member of the urng).


Input: president alfredo cristiani today proposed to the guerrillas groups the renewal of peace talks in caracas, venezuela, on 20 december -- provided the latter "cease all terrorist actions" effective next week.    during a news conference shortly before his departure for san jose, where he will attend the central american presidents' summit, cristiani asked the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) to suspend -- no later than "15 december" -- the fighting, harassment, and sabotage actions that the rebels have been carrying out since a general offensive was launched on 11 november.    the president made it quite clear that the agreement on a cease-fire does not imply a surrender, only the creation of an opportunity for negotiations which will allow the search for a political agreement by 15 february 1990.    he added that the negotiations should allow the fmln to put down its weapons and join the political process in el salvador by then.    the topic of el salvador, worsened by the rebel offensive, will be the main topic at the presidential summit to be held in the costa rican capital on sunday, 10 december.


Input: the salvadoran government today offered $250,000 to whoever helps "discover the assassins" of the six jesuits riddled with bullets at the central american university on 16 november.    the announcement was made by president alfredo cristiani during a news conference, in which he offered $250,000 to "the person or persons who, against their will or unwittingly, indirectly participated in the event and provides relevant information which helps solve the crime."    the government offered whoever provides information on the assassination of the jesuits -- five spaniards and one salvadoran -- and a woman and her daughter "the guarantee that they and their family will be settled as residents in a foreign country."    the government will also carry out the necessary procedures "to get a pardon to exonerate (the informers) of the crime in which they may have indirectly participated" during the mass murder.


Input: honduran president jose azcona and guatemalan president vinicio cerezo asked their central american colleagues today "to end the foolish and ridiculous war that we are in."    on the eve of the central american presidential summit which opens in costa rica on 10 december, azcona and cerezo were both guests at the graduation of 100 agronomists from the pan-american school of agriculture.    at the school 36 km east of tegucigalpa, cerezo voiced the hope that the summit will be able to achieve "a political solution that will prevent more destruction in central america."    "we are living a futile, senseless war in which the central americans are assuming the role of buyers of weapons to kill one another," cerezo said.    cerezo underlined the hope that a political decision will emerge so that all the sectors aspiring to reach power will agree "to do so through the path of votes, instead of resorting to violence."    for his part, president azcona insisted that the consolidation of peace "is the most sensible measure that the presidents can promote."    azcona stressed the necessity of creating the necessary conditions to "approve integration projects that will permit the region to face common problems."    the two presidents plan to travel together this afternoon to san jose, costa rica, where the sixth central american summit opens tomorrow.


Input: we condemn guatemalan intervention in el salvador.  the urng general command expresses its strong solidarity and deep admiration for the salvadoran people and their vanguard, the fmln (farabundo marti national liberation front), who with great heroism and determination are writing one of the most glorious pages of its history.    we view with profound indignation how the officers of la tandona (reference to the 1966 graduating class of the captain gerardo barrios military academy) and the arena (nationalist republican alliance) government headed by cristiani, in view of their inability to defeat, repel, or contain the heroic fmln, have decided to continue massive bombings against defenseless civilians, sow death and destruction, and commit massacres.    the cristiani government and the salvadoran armed forces, which are desperate due to the victorious advances of the fmln forces -- which have not only maintained, but expanded their positions in san salvador and the rest of the territory of that fraternal country -- have lost control.    with vengeance in their minds, they have begun to implement a number of criminal actions against all those identified with the just struggles of the majority.  at dawn on 16 november, six jesuit priests and two humble women who worked for them were brutally assassinated. we share the great sorrow of the salvadoran people and the community of jesuit priests and add our protest to those of others throughout the world who have already protested these despicable assassinations.    the urng general command strongly condemns this incident and urges all guatemalans and all political, social, democratic, and religious organizations to speak out in the face of these genocidal and barbaric actions that are only comparable to what the united states did in vietnam and the nazis did in world war ii.    in our 13 november statement, we denounced the guatemalan army's interventionist plans against that fraternal country.  on 15 november, press agencies reported that the guatemalan army had deployed 126 units of the special kaibiles (counterinsurgency) troops, who are known for their pathological savagery.    president cerezo, the commander of the military staff, and the official spokesman of the guatemalan armed forces have publicly expressed their solidarity with cristiani and the salvadoran army.  we condemn with all our strength the guatemalan army's intervention among the glorious salvadoran people.    we call on all segments of the guatemalan population to express their opposition against this intervention.  we will ensure that the guatemalan army and government pay dearly for their aggression against the fraternal salvadoran people.  we advise the world that el salvador might face an even worse genocide than the one it is currently enduring.  we are sure that the salvadoran people will defeat all their enemies, win this historic struggle, and achieve their goals. the blood that has been shed will breed new life and will undoubtely lead us to freedom, democracy, and peace.    guatemala city, 17 november 1989    urng general command    commanders rolando moran, pablo monsanto, gaspar ilom, and carlos gonzalez, pgt (guatemalan labor party) secretary general

cristiani government

salvadoran armed forces


Input: "just a few words to explain the current military situation.  we believe that still, regrettably, following the fmln's (farabundo marti national liberation front) irrationality, we cannot rule out a continuation of their violent actions.  we know that around the capital there are still groups of terrorists, especially in the southern area, in the northwest -- the san salvador volcano-- and in the northeast, to the north of soyapango muncipality.  the military, however, have taken the offensive in these three areas where the fmln groups have been chased. fighting has taken place over the last few days, with over 100 casualties inflicted upon the fmln in 3 days.    "we believe, however, they have left within the capital great numbers of weapons, some of which have been discovered.  some groups are in hiding, using civilians, and are carrying out terrorist activities.  they have burned buses, gasoline stations and murdered dr francisco jose guerrero; and on 7 december, they fired three or four mortar rounds at random, falling on private homes.  one of them fell on the house of the supreme court of justice president.  we believe these actions are just mere terrorism, indiscriminately firing mortars on the capital's civilians.    "we believe they have no further capacity except to carry out these terrorist acts to create confusion and anarchy among the civilian population.  thank god, our population is very brave and heroic. we have been noticing with pride how the population has been working normally in all of san salvador, going to their jobs, with businesses opening and trying to operate normally.  there are still some threats in the city of san miguel, where a group of terrorists are concentrated to the northeast of the city.  here, too, the armed forces have begun an offensive and quickly end any imminent danger."    president cristiani said that the government's position at the 10 december presidential summit will be open to the possibility of restarting a dialogue with the insurgents on 20 december, in caracas, venezuela, as long as the fmln no longer carries out armed actions in urban areas, but they do not have to lay down their weapons and should continue actions only against military targets.    (cristiani) "as you all have been able to see for yourselves, the government has never been against continuing the dialogue process to find a political solution to the salvadoran conflict.  it has been the fmln that unilaterally broke this dialogue process by not turning up at caracas, venezula, as had been agreed in san jose, costa rica.  we, however, are going to make a definite proposal in costa rica, which in general terms is as follows:    "the salvadoran government is willing to restart the dialogue process.  most convenient would be for this to take place in caracas, with the following condition: begining 15 december, 3 days after the central american presidential meeting (3-second break in reception), the fmln should publicly declare and give proof of compliance that it will end all types of terrorist acts, especially those that directly or indirectly affect civilians.  we want to clarify that we are not asking them to lay down their arms, as was attempted many times.  if the fmln continues its irrational behavior, the armed forces will continue fighting them.  terrorist actions against civilians must end. the people do not deserve to continue being the most affected by the irrationality of all this fighting. we think the least the fmln can do is to stop all actions that affect, directly or indirectly, the civilian population.  military targets are something else; but if we analyze things, up to this moment not a single military objective was the target since 11 november.  they have not even been able to take over a civil defense post.  all actions have been against civilians, trying to intimidate them, trying to create terror among the population.  the cessation of terrorist acts should be the fmln's proof of sincerity and will to really try and seek a solution by way of dialogue.  if the fmln today accepts ending all actions against the civilian population, then we are willing on 20 december to go to caracas and to continue the dialogue process and talks on all the topics the fmln wishes to talk about. thjis will be in order to ensure that by 15 february we have a solution to the conflict."  (continued)

farabundo marti national liberation front

private homes

house of the supreme court of justice president

mortar


Input: msgr arturo rivera y damas, archbishop of san salvador, stated today that "the united states says that it wants to help improve the administration of justice in el salvador. however, in the case of the investigation of the murder of the six jesuit priests, it is obstructing justice."    archbishop rivera y damas said, "i do not know what the purpose of assuming this attitude is.  however, when eyewitness lucia barrera de cerna first testified, she clearly described the men as being dressed as soldiers and not as guerrillas. i believe that it is easy to distinguish between one way of dressing and another."    it seems that the plan is to lead the investigation through other paths, and that is why the u.s. officials took the eyewitness to the united states, "where she was given an authentic brainwashing and threatened with deportation if she did not tell the truth."    according to the jesuits' lawyer, scott grathead, mrs. cerna was subjected to an "aggressive and violent" questioning session.  after this psychological torment, she thought it over and retracted her statement.  fortunately, once rid of the pressure from her "protectors," she has retaken the path of truth.    in his homily today, the archbishop denounced the united states for treating the witness differently once she arrived in the united states, instead of protecting her like the u.s.  embassy officials in san salvador had promised, knowing that the humble working woman "freely and sincerely had declared what she had seen and heard the night of the horrible massacre."  the jesuit priests were murdered on the morning of 16 november.    referring to the statement made by the nation's attorney general, who said that the church has refused to cooperate with the investigation of the murder of the jesuit priests -- a lawyer-priest had been appointed to cooperate with the investigation -- the archbishop said that this statement is not only false but also malicious.    in his homily today the prelate said that, in the first place, it the laymen's ground, and that is where they should prove their expertise and moral integrity. they should imbue the exercise of their profession with evangelical values.    the archbishop said that, in the second place, "it could be a trap."  he added that the church is not going to endorse with a clergyman's presence something that is already beginning to be "murky."    the church and other sectors linked to the investigation in an independent way have been distrustful ever since the attorney general's office showed its attitude toward lucia barrera de cerna's testimony.  she was testifying at the spanish embassy before lawyers and ambassadors, and as the curfew hour approached, they took the witness to another embassy.  the next day two district attorneys came to harass the witness with questions.    the archbishop once again rejected the attorney general's accusation.  he reiterated the belief that the armed forces were guilty of the murders.  he said, "i am not making any accusations. however, the church is very annoyed, and although i am not saying that we are the object of official persecution, within the framework of this regime there is persecution in other sectors."

armed forces


Input: a spokesman for the leftist democratic convergence (cd) said today that, if the government and the guerrillas restart talks on 20 december, the country's political opposition wants to participate in the talks "so that the people may also contribute to attaining peace."    a source from that political group, which brings together two social democratic parties with one social christian party and is a member of socialist international, told acan-efe that these groups "support all initiatives favoring peace."    the spokesman added that "if a dialogue does take place, we want the people, represented by the political parties, to take part in this process that el salvador needs more than ever today."    the spokesman said that salvadoran president alfredo cristiani's proposal announced yesterday, in which he expresses his willingness to restart the dialogue if the guerrillas stop "their terrorist actions against the civilian population" by 15 december, is "feasible as long as there is a sincere will."    cristiani's proposal to the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) will be revealed to the central american presidents during their sixth summit in costa rica today.  the salvadoran president expects to receive his colleagues' political support.    the cd believes that cristiani "does not want to appear warmongering or defiant in costa rica, and will bring to san jose a more marketable proposal that has positive and negative aspects."    "the dialogue that he proposes is feasible and reasonable, but the people must be involved in it," the source pointed out.    he added that the "negative" aspect of the president's proposal is that "it fails to mention the violation of human rights, the arrest and persecution of political leaders, and the state of siege in force since 12 november."    the political situation in el salvador has worsened since 11 november, when the guerrillas launched their largest offensive in 10 years of fighting.    cristiani believes that if the fmln suspends its hostilities against the civilian population the dialogue could be resumed on 20 december in caracas and "there would be a solution to the armed conflict" in this country on 20 february 1990.    the guerrillas have not yet replied to the proposal of cristiani, who gave assurances that the rebels are "not being asked to lay down their arms."    in fact, cristiani noted that he would maintain his willingness to take part in a "dialogue" even if the guerrillas attack positions that are "strictly military.  our sole condition is that they suspend terrorist actions against the civilian population."    the war that began 10 years ago in el salvador has left more than 70,000 dead.


Input: i came because i was told that our reporter friends were greatly interested in knowing what is happening.  i understand that attitude because i worked as a newsman for many years.  i also understand your need to transmit information to our central american people, who are so interested in the success of this central american presidents' summit, and to the rest of the international public, who are interested that progress is being made toward a final peace in central america.    yesterday evening, the foreign ministers agreed not to speak to the press individually.  we appointed costa rican foreign minister rodrigo madrigal nieto as our spokesman.  he said what we had agreed to say at that time.  in fact, there is not much more to report now.  foreign minister madrigal nieto told you yesterday that the foreign ministers had basically devoted their time to examining three topics.  we also had two more topics, but in all there were three topics.  i think he mentioned the contras' demobilization, the internal situation in el salvador, and a third topic, but right now i do not dare to say what it was lest i make a mistake.  (at this point, an unidentified person interrupts, saying: "onuca")    he mentioned onuca (un observer group in central america). that is correct.  in fact, we discussed five topics, but if he said...(changes thought) onuca was one of them.  so we have demobilization, the situation in el salvador, and onuca.  the central american presidents devoted their time to these three topics.    this was not so easy.  some say the thing to do is to clearly and categorically condemn the fmln (farabundo marti national liberation front) for...(changes thought) and to describe it as a terrorist group.  others say: let us condemn terrorism in general, and also anyone who uses it.  some attach a great deal of importance to what international organizations specializing in defending and promoting respect for human rights say, namely organizations like amnesty international, america's watch, the geneva-based international league of jurists, the oas' inter-american committee on human rights, the un human rights commission, the un's task force on forced disappearances, and the international relations catholic institute in london, england.  all these organizations, which undoubtedly from the nicaraguan standpoint deserve respect and credibility, indicate matters are not simply black and white.  (continued)


Input: salvadoran defense minister general rafael larios today rejected the christmas truce proposed by some countries at the presidential summit and demanded that the guerrillas end hostilities as a prior condition for the dialogue to be resumed.    the minister, who always labeled the rebels "terrorists," said that this "is not the time for truces, because it has been demonstrated that they do not work."  costa rica proposed a "christmas truce" today between the salvadoran army and guerrillas to alleviate the existing tension in the area in the wake of the heightened fighting in el salvador, which has left 2,000 dead in the past month.    larios, however, agreed that the dialogue "can begin" without the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) turning over its weapons beforehand.  "the guerrillas do not necessarily have to turn over their weapons for the dialogue to begin," larios stated.    the salvadoran general denied that the fmln can establish itself in certain "territories" while the negotiations are held.  "the fmln terrorists are not in any specific place," larios stated, and then noted that the guerrillas will receive "guarantees" for their safety if they end hostilities and begin negotiations "to rejoin political life."    larios rejected the fmln charges against ranking military officers, who it accused of masterminding the killing of the six jesuits, five of whom were spaniards, and two women.

ranking military officers


Input: the police reported today that marco tulio montenegro, one of the three top leaders of the association of university students (aeu) has been found dead in guatemala city.    the authorities report that they do not know how montenegro died. his body was found on saturday (9 december) under a bridge in this capital, but the fact was not reported until today.    montenegro's relatives said that he had "bruises on his face, marks indicating blows on his left arm and abdomen, and a stab wound."    the aeu leader had constantly been receiving anonymous death threats following the kidnapping and killing of several of his comrades over 3 months ago.    montenegro had returned a short time ago from panama, where he took refuge because of the death threats.

marco tulio montenegro


Input: military authorities have reported that, for the third day in a row, strong battles are being waged in tonacatepeque, approximately 14 km northeast of san salvador.    the rebels, through their clandestine radio stations, have confirmed these reports adding that the battles are being waged against salvadoran air force troops because this area is considered an air force "security zone."    clashes were also reported in santiago and san juan nonualco, la paz department, 28 or 30 km southeast of san salvador.    meanwhile, in san salvador, large areas of the city were without electricity this morning because of the rationing imposed to repair the damage caused by this weekend's sabotage actions.  yesterday afternoon the residents of san salvador, especially in the western sector of the city, were alarmed when they heard approximately 50 explosions.  military sources later explained that soldiers were shelling rebel positions in the san salvador volcano area.


Input: the armed forces press committee (coprefa) has announced that the salvadoran guerrillas suffered 29 casualties, including dead and wounded, during clashes with the army over the past 24 hours in different parts of the country.    a military spokesman gave assurances that five farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) rebels were killed on the night of 10 december along the northern periphery of the eastern city of san miguel, 130 km from san salvador, in clashes with 3d infantry brigade troops.    one fmln rebel was killed and another wounded during clashes on the night of 10 december with military troops on the outskirts of the soyapango neighborhood in the northern part of san salvador.    in other northern and northeastern parts of the salvadoran capital between 1830 and 2200 on 10 december, strong mortar shots were heard, at times up to four per minute, while air force helicopters overflew the city.    the coprefa spokesman also announced that one guerrilla was killed and four wounded in a neighborhood in the northern part of usulutan, 168 km east of san salvador, during a clash with 2d infantry brigate troops.    another insurgent was killed in nuevo cuscatlan, in the southern part of san salvador, where fmln fighters clashed with troops from the paratrooper battalion, the spokeksman added.    the official report did not indicate army casualties in the clashes reported over the past 24 hours.    from 2300 on 10 december until 0200 today, the guerrillas also attacked civil defense military positions in tonacatepeque, 16 km north of san salvador, where they killed two civil defense members.    government sources in tonacatepeque said that the guerrillas sacked two pharmacies and several stores, with regard to which coprefa said it had not been informed.    the army's war bulletin adds that 10 rebels were killed in neighborhoods located in the northern part of zacatecoluca, in the central la paz department.    a zacatecoluca peasant who arrived in san salvador today said that "the situation on 10 december was difficult, there were shootouts during the day and night," and that the air force "attacked."    meanwhile, clandestine radio venceremos, the fmln's official voice, reported that over the weekend the rebels killed 1 soldier and seriously wounded 11, among them a treasury police officer.    the soldier died in a clash in tejutepeque, in the northern cabanas department, the rebel station added, without reporting the fmln's casualties.    the guerrillas claim, moreover, to have destroyed six primary power transmission towers between the "cerron grande" and "15 de septiembre" power plants, in the northern and eastern parts of san salvador.    spokesmen for the lempa river hydroelectric executive commission (cel) confirmed the destruction of the power lines to acan-efe, adding that, throughout the country, nine power system structures were damaged over the past few days.    the country's power deficit is 35 percent.

guerrillas

farabundo marti national liberation front

pharmacies

stores

primary power transmission towers


Input: the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) has seized the town of tonacatepeque, destroyed the garrison, sabotaged the mayor's office and antel (national administration for telecommunications) installations, and freed civilian prisoners of the paramilitary forces.  the prisoners were residents of tonacatepeque who had been taken prisoner by the troops.  they have now been released by the fmln.    the fmln forces seized 30 rifles and war supplies. casualties inflicted on the paramilitary forces in tonacatepeque have been estimated at 10 dead and 15 wounded.    the fighting with the paramilitary forces in tonacatepeque began on 10 december at 2300 and the fmln took control of city at 0200 today, monday.  during this action, our forces attacked enemy positions which form part of the defense ring of the ilopango air base.  the fighting lasted 3 hours and our forces took complete control of the town at 0200.    the air force provided support with ac-47 planes, (huey 500) helicopter gunships and other aircraft, which indiscriminately bombed and strafed the population.    the results are as follows: 25 casualties and war material consisting of the following: 30 rifles, including m-14, czechoslovak-made g-3, garand, and other types.  in all, 30 rifles were seized in the city.  we also seized two batteries for military radios, 11,000 rounds for rifles -- we repeat, 11,000 rounds for rifles -- 5 claymore mines; grenades for rifles; 75 clips for rifles; canteens; and other military items like harnesses, a large number of uniforms, a substantial quantity of medicine, boots, knapsacks, and other war supplies in altomar district in tonacatepeque.    at 0200 our forces finished seizing control of tonacatepeque, which is barely 7 km from the runway of ilopango air force base.  the personnel at the enemy base had been persecuting the civilian population and had captured three residents who were released by our forces when they opened the doors to the jail where the prisoners wer being held.  after seizing control of the town, our forces totally destroyed the garrison and local command post.  they also partially destroyed the mayor's office and the antel installations.    this has been a report from tonacatepeque.  the strategic siege of san salvador has been expanded with this new action -- the seizure of tonacatepeque, which is an important position in the defense ring of ilopango air force base, located 7 km south of the city.

farabundo marti national liberation front

air force

mayor's office

antel installations


Input: honduras' radio america reported today that a sandinist helicopter has attacked and sunk a honduran fishing boat in the atlantic ocean.  so far, 14 survivors have been rescued, but the number of people killed and injured in the incident is still not known, according to the radio station.  radio america cited as its source colonel rafael castro arista, president jose azcona hoyo's chief of security, who is in san jose accompanying the president at the central american summit meeting.

fishing boat


Input: nicaraguan information minister manuel espinoza today emphatically denied a honduran radio station's report that a honduran fishing boat was attacked by a sandinist army helicopter.    according to tegucigalpa's radio america, the alleged incident occurred on the atlantic, off bluefields, and reportedly left an undetermined number of dead and wounded.    espinoza said in costa rica, where he is accompanying president daniel ortega to the central american summit, that "the report on the attack was released with the intention of interfering in the meeting of the region's presidents."    the truth is, espinoza said, that last week a honduran fishing boat was seized on the atlantic because it was fishing in nicaraguan waters, and the crew subsequently mutinied and killed a sandinist soldier.    the minister said that "no incident occurred today."    honduran authorities reported today that 36 people are missing and 14 survived the attack on the fishing boat.  they said the survivors have been rescued.

fishing boat


Input: the murder of three journalists in el salvador yesterday once again shows the repressive and criminal nature of the salvadoran army.    those actions against our press colleagues are only comparable with actions carried out by the armies in chile, paraguay, and other military dictatorships.  the somozist army committed similar crimes in nicaragua.  we just have to remember the cold way in which u.s.  journalist bill stewart was killed while covering the last phase of the insurrection in managua's western neighborhoods.    in el salvador, foreign and national journalists are demanding a serious investigation from president duarte's government to punish the military men responsible for the crime.  will the army's high command be willing to conduct the investigation?  we doubt it, based on its lack of willingness to rectify things in the past regarding other cases, such as the assassination of msgr romero and the murder of herbert anaya, president of the human rights commission.  after all, that is the way in which napoleon duarte's christian democratic government restrains freedom of expression in his country.  more than 11 journalists have been killed by the salvadoran army since 1981.      meanwhile, in nicaragua, journalists from independent media are concerned about 39 former somozist guards who are still in jail because of their criminal records, to the point of launching journalistic campaigns demanding from the government the release of the harmless pigeons.    what will they say now about the salvadoran army, which murdered their colleagues who were complying with their duty to inform the public?  will they defend them as they defended the somozist guards?  they probably will. they will try to play down the action, because they have lost their dignity, good sense, and professional pride a long time ago.

salvadoran army


Input: i thank you all for your presence here.  this morning we received reports that the sandinist people's army (eps) had bombed and sank several honduran boats.  we mean civilian fishing boats.  i will tell you what happened.    we have very few patrol boats on the atlantic coast and our boats there are in charge of protecting nicaragua's sovereignty and wealth. for many years, the nicaraguan air force and the sandinist navy have been conducting joint operations.  in other words, this is not the first time we have conducted such operations.  furthermore, we have taped most of those operations because they require thorough training and accuracy.    during those operations, helicopters have deployed men who board most of the ships participating in the operations.  in other words, helicopters follow the ships as they move along and then special sandinist navy forces board the ship from the air.    i will tell you what happened more or less.  on 7 december 1989 we conducted an operation, basically because since november, we have detected over 30 pirate ships, in other words, ships that have neither license nor permit to fish in nicaraguan territorial waters.    during an operation of the type i just described, our forces boarded three boats at 1020 on 7 december.  the operation was carried out approximately 45 miles east of puerto cabezas.  in other words, the three boats were boarded in this area here.  (wheelock apparently shows location on a map).    the names of the boats are "kerry mac ii", "davis jr," "miss patsy," and another one called "tie water" (number of boats as heard).  the boats were captured and taken to isla del maiz.  in each boat there were five nicaraguan soldiers, one air force officer, and one navy officer.  as the boats were taken to isla del maiz, the members of the "miss patsy" crew, who numbered approximately 60, mutinied against the sandinist officers on board.    the ship's captain and a cook disarmed one of the soldiers and killed him.  as a result of the confrontation, the cook was killed, but the captain was unharmed.  after the mutiny was over, and at approximately 0.7 miles from corn, i mean isla del maiz, the ship's captain ran the "miss patsy" fishing boat aground on some reef near isla del maiz grande and we were forced to, let us say, save all the people on board and take them to corn island.    one of the "miss patsy" sailors jumped off the ship and we have been unable to find him.  of the two bodies, that of the army officer and the cook, we have only been able to recover the cook's body because the ship sank.  most of the other people were taken to hospitals in bluefields and others are being held by the sandinist navy.  that is more or less what happened.    when the "miss patsy" ran aground, the crew members of the other ships came to help, and during this time, apparently, the ship called "davis jr" managed to escape.  we have been unable to find it, but we want to tell you that the following eps officers are on that boat: air force first lieutenant victor rodriguez hernandez, lt juan carlos galo tinoco, navy sailor jose marcelino reyes, and sailor jose rene rodriguez.    we do not know what happened to the "davis jr," but we believe it returned to honduras.  that is more or less what happened.  i am now ready to answer the questions that you may want to ask.  (continued)


Input: the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln), with regard to the results of the extraordinary meeting of central american presidents, reports the following:    1.  the results of the presidents' meeting has allowed us to measure the depth of the crisis in el salvador and the impact of the fmln's current military offensive, inasmuch as the summit's entire effort was aimed at saving the salvadoran government from an extreme political and military crisis and from international isolation in exchange for a new promise on the immediate demobilization of the nicaraguan contras.    2.  the fmln indignantly rejects the presidents' declaration because, contrary to the dynamics of the entire international community, the clamor of democratic and social forces, and the clamor of churches in the country, this declaration unconditionally supports the leading violator of human rights in the region, a government that has murdered and persecuted the clergy and bombed the civilian population. this support encourages those who have unleashed that irrational violence and allows more murders in el salvador.    3.  the san jose agreement does not contribute toward a negotiated solution in el salvador. the fmln cannot be disbanded as the result of agreements between governments because the fmln constitutes a genuinely popular power throughout the salvadoran territory, a force that the huge u.s.-financed war machine has not been able to stop in 10 years.    4. as has already been said in private, the fmln agrees with un secretary general javier perez' mediation to initiate serious negotiations with the participation of all of the country's political and social forces.    5. we are hereby calling for international solidarity so other countries can mobilize immediately to defend the salvadoran people, who are in danger of suffering from an escalation in efforts to exterminate it because the fascist policy has been reinforced by the support that the central american presidents' declaration offers to cristiani's government.    el salvador, 12 december 1989.    fmln general command    (signed) commanders joaquian villalobos, francisco jovel, eduardo sancho, jorge shafik handal, salvador sanchez ceren


Input: in the case of el salvador, this is not a matter of the irregular group being around san salvador, in guasapa, or in chalatenango -- wherever they may want to operate. we believe that the demobilization process is applicable if the group ceases to be an irregular group, something that no longer has any justification, to become a political or a civic group in the framework of a legal process.    the message here is that the presidents no longer want or justify irregular groups in the region, and irregular groups have no reason for continuing in the region.  this includes the nicaraguan resistance, the fmln, and other groups, such as those that may exist in guatemala.  if guatemala were to ask that a problem in that sister country be considered, we would have to consider it because it is the same situation.    support and verification by the united nations and the oas is requested through an organization known as ciav.  the first thing to do is to cease terrorist activities, to initiate the dialogue process, and then to be demobilized and to become a legal group that would function in the framework of salvadoran laws.    (moderator) maria dolores arguiaq, from radio nacional, spain.    (arguiaq) continuing with the nicaragua parallelism, is there the possibility of having a cease-fire before or after the venezuela meeting as a first step toward other measures that could put an end to the war?  my other question is: the united nations has been explicitly asked to prepare the reinitiation of the dialogue.  has there been any preparation?  has the church made any preparations in this regard?    (cristiani) well, (1-minute break in transmission) that has nothing to do with that.  an end of hostilities is basically like saying: do not carry out terrorist activities against the civilian population. it is better to define meanings and not to use terms that create problems of semantics.  what is your second question?    (arguiaq) (question indistinct)    (cristiani) logically.  somebody else has asked me also if we have had any contact with the fmln.  this agreement was signed at 0400.  at 0700 we got on a plane and here we are now.  we have not had time to speak with mr perez de cuellar, much less with the fmln.  but this information will be passed to the united nations because there is much to be asked of the united nations.  we have been confronted with the pleasant surprise that representatives of the un observer group in central america (onuca) are already in the country, to be installed.    mr ortega, who had gone there with the position that as long as the resistance is not demobilized he would not accept onuca, had to abandon that position because it was irrational, and onuca will be asked to go to nicaragua immediately.    the agreement will be reported to mr javier perez de cuellar.  he will also receive from el salvador a request that he work in favor of reinitiating the dialogue process.  the agreement has special contents.  it does not mention other countries by name because the central american presidents have tried to produce a document that is very respectful of countries from outside this area, but it is undeniable that there are states that are negatively affecting the situation in central america.  the united nations and the un secretary general, especially and personally, are being asked to help make states that meddle in the region see that they must help the peace process promoted by the central american presidents.    obviously i do not have to mention the names of the countries to which i am referring.    it is necessary to understand that we are trying to find a real solution, to see that all the factors that have been exerting influence, whether negative or positive, work in a positive way.  the united nations, which comprises all these states, is in a better position to carry out this work.


Input: on returning today from the central american summit held in costa rica, salvadoran president alfredo cristiani said that "the terrorist actions of the guerrillas are no longer justified from any point of view."    pleased with the political support he obtained from his colleagues including nicaragua's daniel ortega, cristiani said in a news conference that he will immediately resume the dialogue with the guerrillas "as soon as the guerrillas cease hostilities and publicly give up committing violent actions against the civilian population."    the salvadoran president said that "in the summit there was a substantial change in that the presidents called the guerrillas by their names."    cristiani feels that the "terrorist actions" of the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) are not justified, and that the guerrillas "are part of an international movement that is only capable of generating terrorism."  if it were not for the foreign assistance, the guerrillas could not survive, he added.    before cristiani had finished his news conference, the fmln "angrily" reacted when it learned of the achievements of the presidents in costa rica who asked for their "demobilization."    the presidents also asked the fmln to "publicly give up committing violent actions that directly or indirectly affect the civilian population," and to "rejoin the dialogue process" that was suspended 2 months ago.    the guerrillas accuse the alfredo cristiani government of being "the main violator of human rights" and stated that the costa rica agreement "actually encourages those who have unleashed this irrational violence and it allows for an even greater slaughter in el salvador."    police sources consulted by acan - efe agreed that the united nations should now assume a "greater responsibility" and seek a solution to the salvadoran armed conflict that has left over 70,000 dead in 10 years of war in this central american country.


Input: ... he (ortega) was facing a fact he could no longer hide: he is the one who is spreading armed revolutions in central america and trying to hamper democratic processes in the region.  once more he has been caught not honoring the commitments agreed on in tela, but rather violating these commitments.  on this occasion he has been left with no possible defense.    therefore, in our opinion, he has no option other than to accept the reality of what is happening in central america, or see himself totally isolated amid a peace plan that has international support. this situation would cause him many problems and headaches in political and diplomatic matters.  he could do nothing but accept the reality.  he could no longer defend the position that the nicaraguan resistance was something special and the fmln (farabundo marti national liberation front) was something else and was justifiable.  it is now clear that he has run out of tricks and has had to accept what all the remaining four central american presidents are aware of and defended at the costa rican summit.  now, if in their strategy they sold out the fmln, as has been mentioned here, they will have to give some explanations to their fmln friends.  that is a problem between him and the fmln.    what should be of interest to us is that the fmln's violent and terrorist actions are no longer justified from any point of view. this has been clearly and strongly emphasized in the costa rican agreement.  in this regard, i repeat that the salvadoran government is willing to resume the dialogue process from which the fmln unilaterally withdrew.  however, at this time it is necessary for the fmln to openly promise -- and this is strongly demanded by the central american presidents, including the nicaraguan president -- it will cease terrorist actions, especially those affecting civilians. obviously a total demobilization and return to the democratic process -- with the guarantees that must be given to the fmln members -- will be the result of the dialogue process.  this is how we understand and view this matter.  the demobilization of the nicaraguan resistance shall be the result of a convincing effort by the nicaraguan government, which should provide the necessary guarantees.  in the same document, the sandinist government has unilaterally vowed to ensure those guarantees.    it is also important to point out that the central american presidents asked the united nations to also join the ciav (international commission of support and verification), so the ciav begins and implements the process to demobilize the fmln. this is basically the desire of the central american presidents.  if the fmln wants to gain political advantages, it should pursue this within the democratic process because it can no longer be justified and has never been justified.  however, today we strongly tell the fmln that no longer is there any room in central america, and especially in el salvador, for violent and terrorist actions.  (continued)


Input: well, as i said before, we believe that the demobilization process being discussed for any rebel organization should be a complete process with their participation in a democratic process.  it is a process that is adapted to fit the circumstances. an international organization is in charge of verifying this process. we believe the organization has the necessary authority to do it, and it should not be a matter of looking for other options because they do not exist.  we have no other options besides the ones that have already been designed for both the nicaraguan resistance and for the fmln, specifically.  in general terms these options could be applied to any rebel group in the region.    (moderator) luis fuentes from prensa grafica.  (pause) carlos ernesto rugama from radio cadena ysu.    (rugama) (words indistinct) ...diplomatic and trade relations with nicaragua.  how can the reestablishment of the relations be achieved?    (cristiani) point 12 of this declaration makes a fraternal call to el salvador and nicaragua to seek the normalization of the diplomatic and consular relations through dialogue and negotiations.  we made the decision to temporarily suspend the relations with nicaragua because of the flagrant violation of the esquipulas agreements.  they were directly supporting the fmln's terrorist aggression.  in costa rica we gave them a document that clearly defines el salvador's position regarding possible negotiations which could normally reestablish the diplomatic and consular relations.  this document was not discussed by the five presidents because it only concerned two of us.  however, the document was given to the nicaraguan delegation and we will wait for the results.  we believe that in general terms it could stop nicaragua's interference and its support for the fmln.    (moderator) maria cortina from notimex.     cortina words indistinct ...to immediately initiate the dialogue process.  in addition, they have to publicly stop conducting actions against the civilian population.  that was part of the proposal you made here on saturday.  however, i am not yet clear on something.  to initiate the dialogue process, does the fmln have to declare a cease-fire or would a public declaration be enough?    (cristiani) well, we maintain the position we stated on 10 december.  we believe that point 3 of this declaration upholds what we have been doing all along regarding the search for a peaceful solution in the salvadoran conflict.  the central american presidents want the fmln to publicly state that they will immediately suspend all the violent actions that are directly or indirectly affecting the civilian population.  we believe that it is not enough to make a public statement.  they must keep their word.  we believe that there should at least be a 5-day period between the public statement and the beginning of a dialogue.  we maintain the position, that is the central american presidents and myself, that no hostile actions by the fmln are justifiable.  we believe that the fmln should stop carrying out all hostile actions in the country.  this indicates two things which must be understood.  first, the fmln are the only ones conducting hostile actions. the government and the democratic institutions that belong to it do not generate hostilities.  they simply respond to the actions of armed groups that are interested in making trouble and overthrowing a legitimate government.  the government has the constitutional right to a legitimate defense and to the preservation of national security in favor of the salvadoran people, as the constitution states.  secondly, the fmln has lost all maneuvering options.  the central american presidents said it clearly when they stated that the fmln had no justification for their violent actions in el salvador.  that is why we are once again asking for an immediate and effective cease-fire.  these were the same words used at the summit held in tela, honduras.  however, i repeat, we will maintain the position we had before, even though we totally agree with this document. (continued)


Input: a colombian official from the inter-american development bank (idb) and a prosecutor from the medellin higher court were assassinated in the last few hours near this northwestern city, the second largest in colombia, police spokesmen have reported.    edgar henao, 55, civil engineer, economist, and top executive from the international credit organization, was shot several times by some unidentified people at his farm called el limon, venecia municipality, 61 km southwest of medellin.    henao, who has been working for the idb for 13 years, had arrived in colombia on 7 december and was preparing to leave for jamaica, the sources added.    moreover, 4th prosecutor gabriel jaime velez was attacked in envigado, 10 km from medellin, by an individual who fired 13 shots killing him instantly as he was walking home.    velez, 38, who was handling several kidnapping and drug trafficking cases, had being threatened, but he had no bodyguards, relatives of the victim said.    during the last 6 months, five judges and magistrates have been killed by hired assassins in medellin.    also today in buenaventura, the major colombian port on the pacific coast, judge sofia de roldan was shot to death by hired assassins. she was preparing for a new job in cali, in western colombia.

unidentified people

individual

hired assassins

edgar henao

gabriel jaime velez

sofia de roldan


Input: nicaraguan president daniel ortega has reported that the salvadoran army is bombing the area surrounding a volcano near the salvadoran capital tonight, "threatening the lives and security of salvadorans."    in a radio and television address to nicaraguans to explain the scope of the agreements signed on 12 december in costa rica -- where the sixth central american summit was held -- ortega pointed out that these bombings "are against the agreements" which were recently signed.    "the bombs the salvadoran army is launching do not help at all in complying with the agreements we signed on 12 december in costa rica," president ortega, who spoke calmly, warned.  ortega appealed to the salvadoran government to cease the bombings.    the nicaraguan president insisted on the "great responsibility" of the u.s. government in the fulfillment of the agreements, particularly with regard to the points that deal with the demobilization of the "contras" stationed in honduras.    ortega recalled that the united states finances the "contras" and therefore washington has in its hands (the possibility) of "giving some tranquility to the nicaraguan people."    "this is now a demand of the central american peoples, which was ratified at the (costa rica) meeting," ortega added.    ortega recalled that the deadline to demobilize the rebels ended on 5 december and that the u.s. government's attitude was to oppose the disbanding of the "contras."    ortega stated: "thus, i believe it is necessary that the u.s. government respect the agreements and stop disrespecting the resolve of the central american presidents and peoples who want peace."    ortega trusts that with the un support the international community will make efforts to promote the demobilization of approximately 12,000 contras stationed in honduras, as well as the dialogue between the salvadoran government and the guerrilla movement to seek a solution to an over 10-year-long war.    ortega admitted that he gets worried every time he attends a summit, because these meetings "are held under u.s. pressure," but finally "we reached agreements that strengthen the peace process."    according to ortega, the peace plans signed by the area presidents "have had a good effect in nicaragua," but he warned that he could not say the same for el salvador, "with which we cannot be pleased yet."

salvadoran army


Input: and again, because the central american presidents did not want to state these countries by name, i will refrain myself from doing it at this time, but they are very obvious, who and what they (word indistinct).    but i think obviously it would be much easier if the fmln would act rationally and accept that they have no longer any recognition for what they do, and that they have been condemned, and not only as an irregular force or group.  they have now been condemned as being a terrorist group, which is the second aspect of the third point in the agreement.  therefore, maybe they should start thinking about something else.  maybe the virgin of guadalupe, whose anniversary we celebrate today, and who is the guardian of all the american countries, will shine some light on these irrational people.  they might see this as a very clear sign that they can no longer justify or lie, or try to convince people that what they do is good.    (reporter) (question indistinct)    (cristiani, in english) that is not what the central american presidents are looking for.  they are looking for a political solution to the problem and all their efforts are directed in that way.    (moderator) ana aranda from the miami herald.    (aranda, in english) (words indistinct) if the government at any point confronted nicaragua or (words indistinct) whether the government as such was truly involved in sending weapons to the fmln?    (cristiani, in english) well, he was watching some of the videotapes that i took.  we were watching them with the other central american presidents.  after a few minutes, he said he had some telephone calls to make and he got up and left.  obviously he could not justify what he was seeing and what the other presidents were witnessing there on the tv screen.    there was some confrontation with ortega obviously, but i will, you know, will say that i did not mind where the warehouse was or where they come from.  it is simply the fact that they were at some point in time in nicaragua and nicaragua was sending them over to el salvador. whether they came from the soviet union or whether they bought them from somewhere else, or wherever they came from, it really makes no difference.  within the central american peace plan, the problem is that they are coming through nicaragua with the knowledge of the nicaraguan government, and that is a violation of the agreement.    (reporter) (question indistinct)    (cristiani, in english) what could he say?  no, he came out trying to produce some sort of dust over the issue -- like we call it here -- through his minister of foreign relations.  he was accusing costa rica of sending aid to the nicaraguan resistance.  and maybe he thought to divert the attention from the salvadoran case by trying to say that costa rica was sending weapons to the  nicaraguan resistance.  then obviously he accused everybody of sending weapons to nicaragua.    the point is, first of all, he did not convince any of the other four presidents.  that is for sure.  and there were no arguments he made in front of the press or at any point in time where they denied that they have been helping the fmln.  i mean, it is very clear and obvious that they have helped the fmln not since november 11.  all the weapons that were already here by november 11 also came through nicaragua.    (moderator) ricardo clemens from visnews.    (clemens, in spanish) (words indistinct) case of jennifer casolo there was a series of legislative issues that are not very clear and there is some kind of impasse regarding her trial.  will the executive branch help to accelerate the trial, or will it issue some kind of pardon or something like that?    (cristiani, in english) no, the executive branch cannot interfere with the judicial process of any person in the country.  it would have to be the supreme court or the judiciary that deals with the problem. they have to decide what the law is and what the application of the law should be.  our position is that the law should be applied impartially, and everything that the judge or anybody else does in the state should be done within the legal framework.    but we have no possibility of intervening in the judiciary process. there is a separation of powers between the executive branch and the judicial branch.    (moderator, in spanish) thank you, mr president. thank you, gentlemen.  thank you all.


Input: the salvadoran armed forces today denied charges by nicaraguan president daniel ortega that the air force "last night bombed areas near san salvador volcano, endangering the lives and security" of civiians.    a spokesman for the armed forces press committee said: "it is false. we are not bombing."    he explained that "some explosions" heard last night on the slopes of the volcano were flares fired "to point out" to army units on land "areas where guerilla columns were moving."    he said: "the flares were launched from helicopters, and at no time did we bomb populated areas."    according to the nicaraguan president the salvadoran air force "bombings contradict the agreements we signed yesterday (12 december) in costa rica," in which the central american presidents asked the fmln (farabundo marti national liberation front) to end hostilities.


Input: british engineer john marck jones (name as received), kidnapped by the marxist-leninist national liberation army (eln), resides in colombia and both his wife and two children are colombians, it was oficially reported today.    jones, 45, who was reported missing in arauca department in colombia's northeast early on 11 december, is the owner of alta tension de colombia, a power company.    jones' relatives told the local press that, despite the initial reports, the british engineer does not work for a multinational corporation.    it is believed that the eln mistook him for the employee of some foreign company and that they might be planning to demand a ransom.    jones was taken in a mountainous area of the catatumbo oil basin, near the border with venezuela, while driving with two fellow workers, who were not detained.    these men told the colombian police that the kidnappers identified themselves as eln members and that they took the engineer when they confirmed he was a foreigner.    jones' power company builds power substations in oil camps in the area where he was kidnapped.    a police source told efe that a specialized agency, which is investigating the kidnapping, is trying to determine the engineer's whereabouts.    the eln has a long history of kidnappings and extortion against oil groups, board of directors members, and engineers.

national liberation army

john marck jones


Input: ....i was in san jose, costa rica at a meeting of central american presidents.  this meeting was of urgent nature to discuss issues such as el salvador, nicaragua, the contras' demobilization, and human rights.    at this meeting, we held in-depth discussions of problems that are being experienced in the central american countries, especially the situation being experienced in neighboring el salvador, which is facing an internal conflict -- more than a decade of continued war and internal conflict.  el salvador has been subjected to a very strong confrontation, which lately has worsened.  as you all know, the civilian population, the clergy, nuns, and union and labor leaders have been victims of this tragic situation.  at this meeting, nicaragua stated its position that the situation in el salvador must be resolved through negotiation and not by way of violence.  this position fully coincides with the position the fmln (farabundo marti national liberation front) has defended.  on various occasions the fmln has made peace proposals and it has called for negotiated solutions to the salvadoran conflict and for real negotiations.    following a lengthy and intense discussion of the salvadoran issue, we came to an agreement, not only with regard to general please and statements concerning the situation in the neighboring central american country, but on very specific issues that could lead to solution of the salvadoran conflict.  thus, in point three, the five presidents decided to request that the un secretary general make a very special personal effort to bring about a dialogue between the salvadoran government and the fmln, thereby contributing toward the talks' successful development.    nicaragua has thus supported the negotiated solution the fmln has vigorously and consistently called for, and with which the government headed by president cristiani also claims to agree.  such negotiation would lead to a dialogue process that would resulte in solving the salvadoran conflict.  likewise, we underscored human rights in central america, because these rights are systematically violated in certain countries.  this has been clearly stated at international organizations.  i am especially worried about the human rights situation in el salvador, where six jesuit priests were recently murdered, and where the army has been accused of exerting indiscriminate repression against the people, through aerial as well as artillery and infantry attacks.    this human rights issue is worrisome to the central american people, the international community, and especially to nicaragua.  we also reached an agreement by which the central american presidents insisted on the need for respect of human rights.  in accordance with the esquipulas ii agreements, the central american presidents ratified their pledges to fully respect human rights, including the civilian, political, economic, social, and cultural rights established in their respective constitutions, and in signed and ratified international agreements.    nicaragua's position has not wavered; it has maintained its positions that the central american countries are willing to have recognized international human rights organizations (words indistinct) in our respective countries, and help defend human rights in central america.  there are forces, central american armies especially, among them the salvadoran army -- which has organized death squads that systematically murder salvadoran people -- whose governments and presidents are faced with certain limitations in overcoming the problem of human rights violations.  this, i believe, is where the greatest strength must be exerted and the greatest effort made to disband the death squads so that human rights can be respected, a peaceful solution can be found for all the conflicts in these countries, and a worsening of violence can be avoided, especially since this violence is on the increase because of the injustice that prevails in these countries due to a lack of equity, freedom, and justice, which is at the root of the problem.  (continued)


Input: president vinicio cerezo has referred to the possibility of a dialogue between government representatives and members of the guatemalan national revolutionary unity, urng, clearly stating that the possibility of a dialogue with that organization has been discussed.  he added that the urng must first state that it is willing to peacefully participate in the dialogue.    the guatemalan president added that the rebels must understand tha they cannot talk about dialogue when perpetrating acts of treason against the central american people, meaning placing bombs and perpetrating acts of terrorism.  the urng must decide to suspend its terrorist actions if it wants to hold a dialogue, he said.  cerezo added that there is a political opportunity for all the ideologies in guatemala.    cerezo arevalo added that if the urng members wish to hold a dialogue, they may do so.  in fact, he said, if they want to return to the country we can discuss the security conditions -- but they must publicly state their decision to return in peace.  otherwise, the president added, it would be tantamount to giving  the other, right-wing, terrorists, who attack students, engage in        kidnapping, and place bombs, the right to participate in an internal      dialogue.  the urng must decide if it wants to join us.  they must do it peacefully because that is the proper thing. the people are fed up with violence and war, he said.    president vinicio cerezo referred to the central american parliament's future during the news conference, held at the guatemalan air force's installations upon his return to the country from costa rica.  he said that the san isidro declaration signed by the five central american presidents included two impressive decisions.  he said that they signed an agreement on the central american parliament -- each country may decide on its contribution as it sees fit -- a subject which had delayed the signature of the appropriate documents. in addition, the ecology and development commission will begin to operate because they believe that its efforts will help consolidate peace and democracy in the area.


Input: montenegro, we would like to know if the the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) will continue with the current military offensive that began on 11 november since the agreement among the central american presidents was signed?    (montenegro) the truth is that the reasons why the fmln began its offensive on 11 november 1989 have not changed at all.  thus, the fmln cannot stop its offensive.  on the contrary, what happened in el salvador is that the fmln offensive strategically turned the war. that turn included a number of military, political, and diplomatic implications.    thus, the truth is that the agreement signed in san isidro de coronado did not propose realistic negotiations for the conflict. yesterday, 12 december, the fmln issued a communique which vehemently expressed its absolute rejection of the agreement signed at the presidential summit.  at present, the fmln believes that despite what the other four central american presidents say, it is clearer than ever that the salvadoran government is a fascist, military dictatorship.  the salvadoran government violates people's human rights and that fact has been clearly proved to the entire international community.  therefore, any attempt to help the salvadoran government or any kind of support given to it nothing but a piece of paper that does not have too much validity to the fmln.    (bernard) in other words comrade, the fmln will maintain the same level of confrontation with the dictatorship?    (montenegro) i believe the fmln's armed struggle is now more legitimate than ever.  the summit confirmed the legitimacy of the fmln's struggle, because the agreement resulting from that summit is neither feasible nor real.  the fmln will therefore continue its political - military offensive.  the fmln will increase its actions. the fmln is reorganizing (readecuar) its political - military apparatus.  in the next few days, we will clearly show what the fmln can do.  the fmln will not surrender its weapons, especially now.  the fmln has no obligation to abide by an agreement that does not reflect the salvadoran reality at all.    if the central american presidents chose to close their eyes to what is going on that is really their problem.    (bernard) two days after the end of the central american summit, what is the current military situation in el salvador?    (montenegro) as i told you earlier in answering the first question, the first thing is that the fmln definately changed the war.  this means that the fmln made the salvadoran armed forces retreat from the mountains to the heart of the cities including the capital city of san salvador.    at present, we have almost absolute control over the highways in 14, i mean 12 salvadoran departments.  there have been actions in ahuachapan and sonsonate, two departments that had been almost untouched by the war.    there is a strategic siege in san salvador.  the army has 65 percent of its forces stationed in san salvador.  the army has abandoned large areas.    as for sabotage operations, at present there are 10 110,000-volt primary lines that are out of service.  that represents a 40-percent energy deficit in the country.  there have been long periods of 100-percent power outages in san salvador.  it is very unlikely that the government can control that situation.  we do not know how long they will endure it.  but in any case, a strong blow by the fmln forces is expected to occur somewhere in el salvador at any time. (continued)

farabundo marti national liberation front

110,000-volt primary lines


Input: we could say that to a great extent the declaration is full of pretty words, similar to those cristiani uses, in the parts where the declaration calls on the fmln to join the alleged democratic process and says that the salvadoran government is legitimate.  however, if we look carefully, we can see what is behind the words and that in addition to declaring support for the government, an attempt is made to do the salvadoran army a favor.  this is done by asking the fmln to stop all violent actions that directly or indirectly affect the civilian population.    we know that this is how the government refers to sieges on cities, to transportation strikes, and to sabotage, the army's most serious sources of concern.  underneath this declaration is a request for the fmln to leave the cities because the army can no longer stand the situation and feels it is near collapse.    the declaration does not state any concern for bombings because considering the condition in which the government is now, any statement in this regard would be like adding fuel to the fire.  the declaration is like a walking stick to keep the dictatorship up, and, as the fmln general command has stated in a communique, it is evidence of the political and military crisis in which this government has been placed as a result of the offensive carried out by all of you.    to conclude: let us wait and see if this declaration will save cristiani from international isolation.  it is important to take into consideration what the general command has stated in its communique, that the agreements by governments that do not know the true situation in our country and that serve other interests cannot demobilize the fmln because the fmln enjoys popular support throughout the nation.    the fmln is not like the contras who are in honduras and international organizations can go to their camps to demobilize them. in el salvador the situation is very different.  cristiani himself was unable to answer a journalist who asked him if he was going to demobilize the fmln in san salvador, in guazapa, in chalatenango, and morazan.    the costa rica declaration is neither realistic nor viable.  this is something that the international community is already pointing out. an international television network has said that following this declaration, the esquipulas agreement could become just words.  a journalist has asked how much this alleged international victory of cristiani is going to last.    meanwhile, the archbishop of guatemala has said that he does not expect anything good from the meeting because neither the contras nor the fmln were present.    the reaction to the results of the presidential summit are along these lines.    the truth is that true facts are what counts.  words and paper are always defeated by facts.  the truth is that the army keeps bombing and that genocide will always be condemned.    the truth is that your efforts, comrades, will not cease until the dictatorship is definitely defeated.


Input: maria julio hernandez, director of the legal assistance office of the archbishopric, is the one who brainwashed the witness of the murder of the six jesuits and two women.    the previous statement was made on 12 december by colonel orlando inocente montano during a news conference at the defense ministry to the local and international reporters.    the witness of the massacre, lucia barrera de cerna, was taken to the united states where she underwent interrogations by the federal bureau of investigation (fbi).    the salvadoran government is very interested in the thorough investigations that are being conducted by the special scientific investigation forces of spain, the u.s. fbi, and scotland yard of england.    according to a washington dateline item transmitted on 11 december by the upi news agency, san salvador archbishop msgr arturo rivera y damas accused the government of having brainwashed lucia barrera de cerna, the only witness in the murder of the six jesuits and two employees.    according to the fbi investigations, the witness has changed her story three times; this was determined by a lie detector test.


Input: u.s. president george bush will go to violence-torn colombia on february 15 for a four-nation summit on illegal drugs, the white house announced today.    white house spokesman marlin fitzwater said bush will meet in cartagena, a port city about 640 kilometers north of bogota, with colombian president virgilio barco, bolivian president jaime paz zamora and peruvian president alan garcia.    fitzwater said bush is going to show his support for barco, who has waged a nation-wide war against drug lords since last august.    colombian cocaine lords have set off more than 260 bombs, killing at least 190 people, in retaliation for the government's crackdown.    a u.s. advance team, headed by assistant secretary of state bernard aronson, has been sent to colombia to complete plans for the summit.    the formal announcement followed bush's signing legislation earlier today authorizing 240 million dollars in aid to the three andean nations, which are responsible for an estimated 80 percent of the cocaine that makes its way into the united states.    the legislation authorizes spending 125 million dollars for military and law enforcement aid and 115 million dollars for narcotics control assistance.    the meeting is expected to last one day.


Input: president pinochet has branded foreign journalists as intruders.  the head of state was clearly upset by the presence of international journalists and observers when he went to vote.    journalist eliana henriquez will now give us more details.    (begin recording) (henriquez) good afternoon.  president augusto pinochet this morning left the higher institute of commerce where he went to vote, angry with chileans and clearly upset by the presence of international observers and journalists.  the head of state walked from the la moneda palace to the higher institute of commerce, which is at the intersection of amunategui and moneda streets.  he was accompanied by the interior minister, the minister secretary general of government, the presidential general secretary, and the chief of the military household.  he greeted general carlos parera, the military commander of the metropolitan region, and the santiago mayor. pinochet then went to voting table no 1 where he was scheduled to vote.  he saw dozens of foreign television cameramen, photographers, and journalists.    before entering the voting booth, pinochet said he was in very good spirits and very happy.    after voting, pinochet said he was very satisfied because this meant the end of the mission he began on 11 september 1973.  he added that he expected the election to develop as calmly as usual.  when a u.s. newswoman approached him for an interview, pinochet, irritated, asked her what she was doing putting her nose in here; he told her that this is our problem, not yours, intruders.  pinochet then turned to the local newsmen and told them that he is unhappy with chileans for allowing foreign observers to enter the country.    (pinochet) i am unhappy with chileans because they have lost their feeling of nationality by accepting the presence of a bunch of outsiders who have come to look over what we are doing.  what do they think they are doing?  let me tell you something else: these outsiders are here to check on the way in which their money has been invested by the political parties and these gentlemen (a reference to opposition candidates in general).    (henriquez) as he was leaving the voting site, pinochet told a uruguayan correspondent that the observers are intruders.    interior minister carlos caceres affirmed that the situation around the country remains normal and orderly.  he added that the only incident was the bomb explosion at the el salvadoran embassy and a minor incident that took place this morning in the locality of maria pinto.  caceres said that he will remain all day at the la moneda palace in order to brief president pinochet on the voting proceedings and any security problem that might arise.    finally, he said that the head of state will also stay in his office.  this afternoon pinochet will probably visit the vote counting center of the interior ministry on monategui street.  good afternoon. (end recording)

el salvadoran embassy


Input: the salvadoran ruling nationalist republican alliance (arena) party today said it regrets the decision of the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) to reject the agreements signed by the central american presidents in costa rica.    arena president armando calderon sol described the fmln's response to the document signed by the presidents as "last-ditch efforts."    calderon said that "the fmln cannot find a way to use the political opportunities offered by president alfredo cristiani's government."    the salvadoran guerrilla movement rejected the costa rican agreements with "indignation."  in the agreements, the presidents request the demobilization of the fmln and express their support for cristiani's government.    calderon said that the guerrilla movement "was condemned and for that reason it has no other choice but to criticize the summit." calderon sol added that "the central american presidents could only express their support for the salvadoran democracy."    calderon said: "foreign democracies must help the salvadoran democracy."    the salvadoran politician said that it is "not true that the salvadoran government violates civilians' human rights," as the guerrilla movement claims.    the fmln states that the central american agreements "unconditionally support the leading violator of human rights in the region, a government that has murdered and persecuted the clergy and bombed the civilian population."    calderon sol replied that "the guerrilla movement's statements are anachronistic and intend to discredit the salvadoran government."


Input: good evening. the government has announced a major portion of the results of the elections held today.  after 93 percent of the voting stations have been counted, and when all that is needed is the official report of the electoral court, it is possible to say that patricio aylwin azocar has been elected president of the republic for the l990-l994 term.    with regard to that result the supreme government would like to convey to the people the following:    1. all chileans should be proud for once again participating in an exemplary election.    2. on behalf of the supreme government, i would like to convey a deserved recognition to the armed forces and carabineros, who have led an electoral process in order and tranquility, and to all the people who participated today at the voting stations. they enabled this election to be held in an environment of peace, and thereby allowed the free expression of civic will.  we must, however, repudiate the violent murder of a member of carabineros.    3. the people must rest assured that the government of president pinochet, faithful to the commitment made with the armed forces and police, will have the results of the recent elections respected.  the government calls on the entire country to maintain public order, and to wait with tranquility the final results of this election.    4. during the last 16 years chile has moved ahead systematically and without hesitation toward the great objectives set forth at the beginning of the military government.  the government is fully satisfied with the work of democratic, economic, and social reconstruction that was carried out by all chileans under the leadership of president pinochet.  we have set forth a solid basis for future prosperity.    5. this election fulfilled one of the most important requirements for reaching the full democracy that was destroyed in the past by the enemies of freedom and pluralism.  as his excellency president pinochet said, 11 september l973 not only represented the overthrow of an illegimate and failed government, but it also represented the end of a worn out political and institutional regime, and the need to build a new one.  it was not just a task of simple restoration, but primarily a creative task which, in order to succeed, had to be carried out in the deep roots of national tradition.    6. the armed forces and carabineros fulfilled the commitment made in september l973.  the mission has been fulfilled.  authentic democracy as a way of life and a form of government has been created, and the transition process ends on 11 march l990.  from now on it will be the responsibility of every chilean to keep watch so that the stability and progress achieved with political will and constant effort will continue to prevail in our free society. thank you very much. good night.