Input: colombia: drug kingpins sole members of 'extraditables'    the 22 january edition of the bogota daily el tiempo published information from colombian police intelligence reports and state security intercepts identifying drug kingpins pablo escobar gaviria and jorge luis ochoa vasque as the only members of the so-called "extraditables."  this press note provides highlights of the 22 january article.    drug barons pablo escobar gaviria and jorge luis ochoa vasque, who are reputed to be the brains behind the medellin cartel's plan to surrender to the government, have been identified by the national police and state security as the only ones responsible for the communiques sent by the so-called "extraditables," according to the el tiempo article.    state security recogni ed escobar's voice in a conversation intercepted during a routine radio scanning operation, which revealed that the cartel was planning to surrender to the government.  escobar was acting as the cartel's intermediary in charge of contacting lawyer guido parra, the liaison between the cartel and high level government officials.  escobar did not disclose the names of the officials involved.    a national police intelligence report says that ochoa and escobar find themselves in a precarious situation because other trafficker groups have withdrawn their support as they do not want to be held accountable for kidnappings and other terrorist acts they have not perpetrated.  the report further indicates that escobar, pressured by military operations in antioquia, "was forced to order the kidnappings of alvaro diego montoya, (son of the secretary general of the presidency) and patricia echevarria (sister of president barco's son-in-law) and her daughter."  these high profile hostages served as a "protective shield," according to the article.    spokesmen for the intelligence corps are quoted as saying that escobar knew that by taking hostage the son of the secretary general of the presidency, he could successfully exert the pressure he needed to act in the name of the "extraditables."  problems began to surface soon after the cartel's surrender, as members at odds with escobar started to break away from the group.  according to medellin officials, the kidnappings of montoya and echevarria also had an impact on the rate of attrition among the "extraditables.    the cartel's surrender is not seen as a surprise: the 4th army brigade was conducting an exhaustive search of the antioquia department in an effort to bring the kingpins to justice.  moreover, the army launched a publicity campaign among the locals to encourage them to inform against the drug traffickers.  following the death of jose gon alo rodrigue gacha, escobar and ochoa were constantly on the move.    a spokesman for state security states that sophisticated communications equipment in medellin enabled them to learn about escobar's intentions almost on a daily basis.  it was difficult to establish their exact whereabouts, however, because they never remained in one place for more than six hours at a time.  the two drug barons always traveled with an escort of six to eight men whom they trusted implicitly.    according to a high-ranking military official, "when escobar began losing power in medellin, his closest aides, fearing persecution, went into hiding."  he adds that escobar and ochoa took on the cause of traffickers wanted by the united states, but notes, "we are well aware of the fact that the cali cartel men do things differently."    the el tiempo article notes that on 19 january several leading colombian newspapers circulated a notice pointing to escobar as the man who acts in the name of the "extraditables."  later, it was confirmed that the authorship of the notice was attributed to a demented person whose name had clearly been used.  el tiempo asks:. "could this be a message from other drug traffickers who are unwilling to pay for pablo escobar's actions?  could it be a message from these same traffickers who do not want to give up this business and therefore are unwilling to have escobar and ochoa speak for them?"

pablo escobar gaviria

jorge luis ochoa vasque

medellin cartel

alvaro diego montoya

patricia echevarria


Input: admiral jose toribio merino, former commander in chief of the chilean navy, today harshly attacked peruvian president alan garcia and nicaraguan president daniel ortega.    asked about the fact that only three out of 11 presidents who will be in chile for aylwin's inauguration will salute current president general augusto pinochet on saturday, merino said: "we have all kinds of them. i will not shake hands with that man garcia from peru. he is filthy (mugriento)."  the admiral continued: "neither will i shake hands with a grimy person who has killed any number of patriots and who is creating trouble for that lady...what is her name?...chamorro." merino was referring to ortega, who will arrive in santiago on sunday.    merino, who retired after 16 years as navy commander in chief, made these remarks after a government junta farewell session. the government junta has functioned as a legislative branch since 1973.    merino said: "some people who do not want to shake the president's hand come from wretched countries where people are dying of hunger, countries experiencing desperate inflation and economic situations. they are properly represented (son unos pueblos tales por cuales)."    merino and pinochet are the only military officers who have remained in power since the 11 september 1973 coup.


Input: as we have reported in the past few days, honduran army troops have entered salvadoran territory through san miguel and morazan departments to carry out kidnappings and robberies and commit abuses against salvadoran civilians.    honduran and salvadoran troops clashed on 6 march leaving one dead and one wounded among the ranks of the 10th regiment of marcala, honduras.    the fmln (farabundo marti national liberation front) urges the government of rafael callejas and the honduran armed forces' high command to order the end to these incursions into el salvador that are affecting humble civilians.    at a time when the peoples of the world are clamoring for peace through dialogue and understanding among nations, the honduran government must prevent further confrontations at other border areas, especially now that honduras is burdened by a serious economic crisis and requires (words indistinct).    the fmln reaffirms before the international community its determination to maintain its efforts in search of solutions to regional conflicts.  with that in mind, it urges the honduran government to assume its responsibility in the previously mentioned incidents.

honduran army troops


Input: cesar gaviria trujillo, a 43-year-old economist, became the presidential candidate of the ruling colombian liberal party today by a wide margin of 60 percent in the "popular consultation," an election held at the same time as the legislative and municipal elections, the radio station network caracol reported today.  the results were reported only a few minutes after the elections ended at 1600 (2100 gmt) in a relatively calm climate.    simultaneously, a private polling concern that conducted a survey in nearly 90 percent of the country's voting precincts announced that liberal party candidate juan martin caicedo was elected the new mayor of bogota and another liberal party member, omar florez velez, will become the mayor of medellin, colombia's second largest city.    the first results, which are not official, were released by the electronic media after the government for the first time in colombia's history gave them permission to announce election figures before the official announcements of the civil registration office, the state agency in charge of counting he votes.    according to the report, gaviria led his opponents by a wide margin.  ernesto samper pizano received 18 percent, hernando duran dussan, 15 percent; alberto santofimio botero, four percent; william jaramillo gomez, two percent; and jaime castro castro, one percent.    gaviria, who was always a favorite in the polls, replaced senator luis carlos galan as the liberal party's presidential candidate. galan was assassinated by the criminal drug trafficking mafias last year.


Input: after staying in power for 16 years, general augusto pinochet was finally compelled to leave the la moneda presidential palace, which he captured during the military coup of september 11, 1973.    lawyer patricio aylwin, 71, leader of the christian democratic party, became its new master today.  he scored a sweeping victory during december's general elections with the support of all the opposition parties, including communists.    the restoration of democracy in chile will by no means be easy. bomb explosions shook the capital on the eve of the inauguration ceremony as militants reminded the public of their presence.    according to aylwin, it is important for the government to overcome the deep political division of chilean society.  "only this," aylwin believes, "will allow chile to do away with vestiges of the totalitarian system and eventually expand parliament's powers, to amend the constitution and the unfair electoral system and to legalise banned parties.    analysts believe the revival of chile, which has long-standing democratic traditions, will be held back by the fact that, according to the constitution in force, pinochet will remain commander-in- chief of the ground forces for eight more years.  this substantially curtails the president's rights as supreme commander of the country's armed forces.  furthermore, before stepping down, the former ruler has ensured himself an obedient majority in the senate, the chilean parliament's upper chamber.    in the international arena the new government will have to overcome the isolation that resulted from the years of dictatorship, when human rights were grossly violated and thousands of freedom fighters were ruthlessly persecuted or eliminated.  this task is facilitated by the fact that relaxation processes are gaining momentum in the world and east-west cooperation is on the upswing.    numerous foreign guests, including a soviet delegation, arrived for the inauguration ceremony and the transfer of power to a civilian government.  an agreement is expected to be signed these days on the restoration of diplomatic relations between the soviet union and chile and on the opening of their respective embassies in moscow and santiago.


Input: a band of colombian criminals and drug traffickers have invaded the veracruz community in the arraijan district.  according to the people who gave this report, the criminals are well-armed and apparently, willing to fight to the end to maintain the criminal ring, left to them by former dictator manuel antonio noreiga.    "they have weapons similar to the ones used by the murdering dignity battalions' in their practices and they have received many late night visits; some neighbors say they also sell drugs," said a veracruz resident who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation by the colombian criminals.    the charges presented by veracruz residents may result in another police operation that will, once and for all, eliminate all the bands of armed assailants and drug traffickers who were armed in the past by manuel antonio noreiga dictatorship.  the most dangerous aspect of this situation is the rumors in the corregimiento that many colombians, who escaped from the recent police operation in curundu, have hidden in veracruz and this clearly indicates that there is a fearless army of criminals made up of panamanians and undocumented colombians.  (continued)


Input: there was nothing remotely close to a trial held, even if we had the death penalty as a punishment for military crimes.  they were assassins of the worst kind.  there were other previous incidents, but basically this is the accusation.    (montaner) of major moises giroldi's death?    (endara) giroldi and many others.  many people were killed during those days.  we do not exactly know how many people were killed.    (montaner) you do not know?    (endara) we do not know.    (montaner) are you going to let them leave?  are you going to let them escape to peru?    (endara) look, as a lawyer i know what latin american international treaties say -- those that have only been signed and ratified by the latin american countries because the united states has not ratified them -- regarding the right to asylum.  the host country decides what crime has been committed, not the home country.  there are rights established in those treaties.  the home country may inquire about the charges that have been filed against the people who have sought refuge.  the home country may ask the host country not to determine what crimes have been committed in each case.  if the host country has already decided on the charges, it may be asked by the home country to reconsider its decision and to provide evidence supporting those charges.  we are currently exercising those rights.    we hope peru does not insist because our relations, as you have already seen (changes thought) they are not accepting other cases, which are less serious.  for example, we have the case of a man like toty suarez (president of the revolutionary panamenist party, prd); we have the case of general noriega's wife and daughters; and a number of other cases where we cannot call these people assasins.  we did not have any evidence against them.    (montaner) what about manuel solis palma?    (endara) solis palma left the embassy and nothing happened to him. his case was interesting.  he sought asylum and the venezuelan embassy never, never, officially informed the panamanian government that solis palma was there.    (montaner) he was there as a guest?    (endara) yes.  when we were asked about the fate of solis palma, we replied that, for all we knew, he was spending a few days with the venezuelan ambassador.  he had every right to sleep there.    (montaner) i will ask a few more questions.    (endara) you may ask anything you like.    (montaner) there were many people saying that the invasion was a u.s. pretext not to return the canal in the year 2000.    (endara) no, no.  there has never even been the slightest hint from any u.s. government official, not from the state department or the army about this.  congressmen of all ideologies have been here, even from the extreme right -- i do not think there are any extreme leftist congressmen in the united states -- as well as senators.  military officers have also been here.  i have had long talks with them.  they have not even hinted that they want to change the treaties or that they want to stay beyond the year 2000.  all of that is noriega's nonsense.  noriega was the one who started that campaign.  there has never been any talk about this, not even about the bases remaining beyond the year 2000.  there has been none of that at all.  (continued)


Input: the general command of the fmln (farabundo marti national liberation front) deems as positive the government's recognition of the fmln's good-will gestures.  however, we view as a negative that in the government's response there is not a corresponding attitude. in this regard, we inform:    1.  the government response tries to undermine our gesture.  the fmln has never had a policy to attack or harm the civilian population. our gestures are a clear contribution to strengthening the space of other political and social forces to allow for their participation in the political negotiation solution process and in the effort to humanize the conflict.    2.  the government and the armed forces continue to violate human rights, bomb civilian populated areas, subject the country to a permanent state of siege, be it legal or de facto.  in a constant and systematic manner, the government maintains a policy of capturing and torturing leaders of people's groups; maintains sieges and raids; harasses the communities of repatriates; and sabotages the property of residents in areas under the fmln control.    in the meantime, no step has been taken to investigate and punish the murder of monsignor romero and the massacre of fenastras (salvadoran workers national union federation), while the trial against the murderers of the jesuit priests has stagnated and the suspects are promoted or sent abroad.    the government intends to appoint as defense minister the person who gave the order to murder the priests, and it allows the reported executioner to live in a luxury apartment.    3.  we agree with the permanent, serious, important, and reserved character that the negotiation process should have.    4.  the government is morally and politically compelled to implement as soon as possible goodwill gestures that will permit the exercise of citizen's freedoms and cease the daily human rights violations and all forms of aggression aimed at the civilian population.    5.  we warn that it would be regrettable for the people's peace and democracy hopes that the government and the armed forces try to harden warmongering positions, believing in the mirage of an alleged weakness of the fmln.  obviously, this mistake would only lead to a worsening of the war and would further delay the possibilities of negotiations, democratization, and peace for el salvador.    fmln general command    (signed) commander shafik jorge handal, commander eduardo sancho, commander salvador sanchez ceren, commander francisco jovel, commander joaquin villalobos    (issued in) el salvador, 15 march 1990

person who gave the order to murder the priests

armed forces

monsignor romero


Input: pichincha battalion troops have seized letters, which were going to be used for extortion, and large amounts of war materiel in clashes with the 6th farc front in the border area of the departments of valle del cauca and cauca.  in the operations that took place on 15 march in the jagual area in corinto municipality, in northern cauca, 3rd brigade troops killed alonso cortes, considered the farc's most important leader in the southwestern part of the country.  two other guerrillas were also killed.    in that area the pichincha battalion troops found a cocaine processing laboratory and 35 packages of marijuana.    (begin recording) (general jose manuel bonnet) we demonstrated that the farc is involved in drug trafficking.  as you saw, the seizure of 35 packages of marijuana and of a cocaine processing laboratory in caloto, in this same operation, shows us that we are facing a subversive group that is also involved in the marijuana business activity.  (end recording)    on alonso cortes' body, the troops found a listing of people who were subjected to (1-second break in reception) noting the amount of money that they were supposed to give to the farc.  they also found a letter that cortes never sent for a (7-second break in reception) for having implicated the m-19 (19 april movement).  in this military operation called "liliana," the army seized shotguns, pistols, one sub-machine gun, and large amounts of ammunition, in addition to dynamite and cables for explosives, communication equipment, dental equipment, and clothing for the exclusive use of the military forces.


Input: in september 1970, i was in jail with other comrades.  our jailers did not allow us to read the newspapers -- not even the ones published by the somozas -- but we found ways to get a radio and were able to learn of salvador allende's election through the people's vote.    we were jail in 1973 when we learned of the brutal coup against the people's will and democracy.  radio reports said that planes were bombing la moneda (chilean presidential house) and we pictured president allende heroically resisting there.    we did not lose our morale.  we became indignant and full of courage.  we thought and felt certain that the chilean people would go on winning because it was their will to be free and sovereign.    so many years had to pass for us to be here with the chilean people.  after that came the victory of the revolution in nicaragua. that day, 19 july 1979, when the victorious people entered managua, salvador allende was there struggling side by side with the nicaraguan people.    i want to outline some views, but with the understanding that the current international political picture is extremely complex.  first of all, we respect political and ideological options.  when we won, we sandinists thought that the time had come to develop a different system to give nicaragua what had been denied to it by the imperialist domination.    sandino epitomized the nicaraguan people's anti-imperialist struggle, the first manifestations of which occurred last century. sandino advocated not only a struggle against north american intervention, but social and economic change.  he did not put a label on his thoughts, but was convinced that to be a (true) nicaraguan and latin american, one had to be anti-imperialist and had to advocate social and economic transformations in favor of the people.    the sandinist front (sandinist national liberation front) picked up sandino's banners and adopted his still unfinished historical program. so, after victory, we thought that we had to think of a different program for nicaragua.    we rejected dogmas or schemes with regard to the method of struggle to achieve victory or the model that would be viable for nicaragua in the latin american context.  we began with three basic tenets: a multiparty system, a mixed economy, and social and economic justice.    exercising this right, we said: this is the path.  and the united states said: that is not the path.  tightly clinging to its imperialistic policy, the united states decided to destroy the nicaraguan revolution and organized a military, political, and economic onslaught.    you are familiar with this story and its tragic toll of 60,000 victims.    we have been able to defend nicaragua and the gains attained by the revolution, because this defense was headed by the nicaraguan people who, armed with their conscience and courage, took up weapons to defend their homeland's sovereignty and territorial integrity.  (continued)


Input: the government that takes office on 25 april can rest assured, as can many latin american governments, that there will never again be another military coup in nicaragua.  the humble people, the peasants, and the workers can rest assured that the army will safeguard the fatherland's sovereignty, it will not turn the cannons against the workers.    i never said that the fsln would perpetually remain in the government, but that the people would perpetuate themselves in power. that i did say!    others will say that the sandinists made many concessions, but if we held elections, it was because we were convinced that we could lose, a new model in latin america that not only guarantees the existence of democracy, but its development and deepening.  it is democratic to constantly question democracy to refresh, strengthen, and deepen democracy.    the cleanest and most observed electoral process is the one that was carried out in nicaragua.  we have nothing to hide.  the reporters said that if we won they would leave, but since we lost they have stayed on to see if we will surrender power on 25 april.    although it is true that the fsln suffered an upset in the elections, as a political force that has been the vanguard of the process that led the country to democracy, independence, dignity, and sovereignty, the fsln is now consolidating the results of democracy. it is not true that the revolution has been defeated, because it has emerged from the elections stronger.    i am preparing to act as the opposition alongside the people when i am no longer president on 25 april.  i am a deputy, but i prefer to be in the neighborhoods, the factories, and the countryside.  i have told the nicaraguans that we must consolidate this process, which means the consolidation of democracy in nicaragua.  we must be more creative and imaginative than ever, because we will face new challenges that will be enriching to us as a revolution.    to be a clandestine opposition is not the same as to rule from above.  we will now govern from below, and we will defend popular and national interests.  the return of somozism is not sought.  the electoral victory does not mean a return of the counterrevolution, that continues to threaten nicaragua.  if the counterrevolution is not disarmed, the new government will also have to confront the counterrevolution, and we will fight as we never did before.    the united states lifted the embargo and offered aid to nicaragua. we will not be like right-wing extremists who sabotage economic efforts.  resources have not been offered to a certain party, but to all of the people.  nicaragua not only deserves international cooperation, it should be indemnified by the u.s. government.    we have felt the solidarity of people the world over, we have felt the solidarity of the american people, who have also been murdered by the counterrevolution in our fatherland.  i have heard of emotional examples of solidarity, such as bryan wilson's, who sat in front of a train that ran over him, and who tells me he feels proud to be one of the thousands of amputees from the war in nicaragua.    the blood of chileans, americans, and europeans was shed in nicaragua.  i must thank this heroic and exemplary chile for the manner in which it has displayed its fondness for the nicaraguan people through me, and i must tell you that today, more than ever, the solidarity of people who defend the cause of freedom, sovereignty, democracy, and independence is indispensable.    the future, it is said, belongs to the people, because the present and the past also belong to them.  the revolution should be refreshed, it should be watered with fresh rain; only then will the trees turn green and the flowers bloom, only then will the revolutionary processes be understood.  we could talk for hours and hours, but this is not the time to talk.  it is the time to act.    this visit to chile will be unforgettable for me because of the happiness, optimism, and confidence reflected in the faces and in the eyes of the chilean people.    this night will be unforgettable for me.  therefore, i wish to pay homage to those who were examples of latin american dignity and are with us always in chile, nicaragua, and latin america: salvador allende and pablo neruda.  long live nicaragua!


Input: the salvadoran armed forces charged today that a group of guerrillas attacked a contingent of soldiers in the town of victoria, northeastern cabanas department, from a settlement for displaced persons.  there were no casualties.    the armed forces press committee (coprefa) has stated that the rebels fired m-60 machineguns at a patrol of soldiers passing by the santa marta settlement, where some 3,000 displaced persons live.    the military report said that the incident took place on 15 march and the soldiers did not answer the fire.    however, the christian committee for displaced salvadorans (cripdes) denied that there are any armed persons in this settlement, where the persons who recently came back from the honduran camp of mesa grande are living.    tomasa ruiz, spokesperson for cripdes, said that the charges "are a direct threat" to the security of the displaced persons in santa marta.  "this does not mean," she added, "that there are no confrontations taking place outside the camp, but there are no armed persons inside the camp."    the armed forces have said that the guerrillas are hiding among the civilian population in order to attack the soldiers.    on 11 february, one adult and four minors were killed and 16 others were wounded when a salvadoran air force helicopter strafed a camp of displaced persons in corral de piedras, chalatenango department.  on that occasion the army said that the guerrillas attacked the government troops from the settlement of refugees who returned to the country late last year, after having lived nearly one decade in the honduran camps.    in addition, the armed forces said that three soldiers had been wounded during fighting with the guerrillas in the town of san jose guayabal, in the central cuscatlan department.    these charges were made public on 16 march when the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) announced a suspension of sabotage actions on public transportation, business establishments, and the telecommunications center, as well as attacks on civilian officials.    the army also maintained that the rebels blew up five electricity posts in san vicente and morazan department in the center and northeastern parts of the country.  the rebels also harassed soldiers who were guarding an electricity station in a town of santa ana department and a military checkpoint on the bridge over the acelhuate river in aguilares, north of san salvador.    according to the military report, these harassment actions by the rebels did not cause any casualties.

guerrillas

rebels

salvadoran air force

camp of displaced persons

electricity posts


Input: u.s. vice president dan quayle talked with president daniel ortega during an official lunch and told him that he fully agrees with the need to demobilize and disarm the contras before 25 april to guarantee a normal transition of power to the new government.    daniel said in a statement to barricada: "vice president quayle told me they are working on an idea so that the contras are not around by 25 april.  he stated his political willingness to do this, and i believe his position was very constructive."    when asked what steps will be taken to carry this out, he replied: "we -- and not only the nicaraguans and central americans, but also the united states -- must now put words into deeds to put the political will into actions that will enable us to disarm and demobilize the contras before that date."    referring to certain attempts by uno sectors to establish a symmetry between the constitutional armed forces of nicaragua and the contras' terrorist forces, daniel pointed out: "no, no, no, nobody has proposed this.  none of the presidents with whom i have talked thinks along these lines."    ortega insisted that the conversation with the u.s. vice president had been "frank, friendly, direct, and very respectful," and that quayle "is certain that the transfer of power will be carried out on 25 april.  he also stated his willingness to cooperate so that nicaragua does not have to live in a far more critical situation than the one it is currently facing in every sector."    daniel considered the meeting, which occurred during lunch, as "very positive, and i find him constructively inclined toward all the efforts that we, the nicaraguans, have exerted, and which culminated with the 25 february elections."    the president also referred to conversations held during the flight between caracas and santiago de chile with the presidents of spain, venezuela, costa rica, and honduras, confirming: "we all agree that the contras should be immediately disarmed and demobilized."    ortega talked briefly with quayle yesterday morning during the te deum offered at the metropolitan cathedral for the presidents who were invited to the inauguration of chilean president patricio aylwin. when daniel entered the cathedral, those attending the te deum applauded him while he greeted the heads of state who were there. when quayle entered, he approached daniel and greeted him in a friendly manner, while the thrilled crowd continued to applaud.    persons who overheard the brief conversation reported to barricada that quayle told daniel that if he wished to send a message to bush he would deliver it, thereby agreeing to wait until an appropriate time to hold their conversation.  this moment occurred several hours later during the official lunch.    during the morning daniel also met with members of the political parties opposed to the outgoing pinochet government.  he explained to them the results of the nicaraguan elections, which he described as "a tactical defeat but a strategic victory for the fsln."    shortly afterward the president met with christian democratic party leaders, including party president andres zaldivar.  at this meeting the christian democrats said that the nicaraguan electoral process was clean and open, and they praised the fsln's fulfillment of its democratic obligations.  they also praised president ortega's attitude and the widespread international recognition he has obtained.    in the afternoon, president ortega spoke briefly to newsmen after visiting "la moneda" presidential palace to offer his official greetings to chilean president patricio aylwin.  "i have transmitted the greetings of the nicaraguan people to the chilean people and have made reference to the long-standing friendship that unites the two nations," daniel told newsmen on the patio of the "la moneda" palace, the same place where president salvador allende fell fighting for his people on 11 september 1973.    "it is an honor for me to be here, sharing this historical moment with the chilean people. i am convinced that we will continue working together with the peoples of the continent to build an independent, free, latin american fatherland with social and economic justice and with true peace, sovereignty, and democracy," ortega told the journalists, who responded with applause.


Input: two individuals shot former government junta member gustavo leigh guzman at point blank range this morning. general leigh was attacked at his office at barrio alto. his condition is very serious. he was hit five times during the attack at around 1100 (1500 gmt) this morning. gen. gustavo leigh is being treated at the military hospital.    interior minister enrique krauss, legislators, church officials and other authorities visited the hospital to check on leigh's condition.    president patricio aylwin suspended all audiences as a consequence of the savage attack. minister secretary of government enrique correa said the attack was tremendously regrettable and condemnable.    interior under secretary velisario velazco said the group responsible for the attack will be sentenced with maximum severity. catholic church authorities, legislators from all party blocs, businessmen, entrepreneurs, workers, and the public in general condemned the attack terming it a shock against the democratic process.    doctor francisco alaman said former air force commander leigh is for the time being out of immediate danger of death. the other general wounded in the attack, retired general enrique ruiz, was hit by three bullets and is being treated at the air force hospital.    so far the military hospital has not released any official report on leigh's condition. the manuel rodriguez patriotic front, autonomous faction, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

gustavo leigh guzman

enrique ruiz


Input: daniel solorzano, assistant secretary of the ruling guatemalan christian democracy was shot and killed on 21 march by unidentified men, the police reported today.  solorzano, who was 45 and the municipal mayor of san pablo (san marcos department), was found shot in the cabuz river in malacatan municipality, the sources said.    no one knows the motive for the political leader's murder in san marcos, a department where the guerrillas have been active in recent days.    early on the morning of 21 march, rebel groups detonated eight bombs in front of the homes of government and municipal officials in this department.  two people were injured.

unidentified men

rebel groups

rebel groups

homes of government and municipal officials

daniel solorzano


Input: jaramillo ossa has said that for the past four years he had asked the government for protection, that his life was in danger, and that he held the government directly responsible for whatever happened to him.  that is what jaramillo ossa said.    (lemos) did you say for the past 4 years?    (reporter) that is what jaramillo ossa said, that the government was responsible for his safety during the past 4 years.  he also said that whatever happened from then on would also be blamed on your statement, and that the best service you could give the country would be to resign.    (lemos) i already replied to a question about my resignation.  i cannot resign because i am not guilty.  by resigning i would be admitting my guilt to something i had nothing to do with.  however, i am glad that you mentioned that this has been occurring for the past 4 years.  i was a journalist four years ago.    (reporter) (words indistinct) made a mistake a few days ago by again linking the up with the farc?    (lemos) i prefer not to discuss this topic now.  i do not think that this is the best time to discuss that subject.    after this situation has settled, i will have to file a formal statement at the attorney general's office where i have been summoned by the up.  as a government official, i am obliged to appear before the attorney general's office to explain my actions, but now is not the moment to explain anything.    (reporter) (question indistinct)    (lemos) of course, the president is very distressed, as we all are. we believe this is a terrible; there is no justification for something like this to happen.  it is evident that people who are seeking a goal opposite to that of the government are involved in this.  the government wants a free electoral process; it is committed to that.    today, when we have a completely orderly electoral process, it would be absurd, illogical, irrational, and senseless for the government to promote actions that run counter to its goal of ensuring that its term ends in peace and that the elections will take place normally.    (reporter) the up has again cast doubt over the government's guarantees for the candidates and the party.    (lemos) i believe that the government has done everything humanly possible to guarantee the safety of candidates, not only the safety of up members, but of all presidential candidates, regardless of their affiliation.    (words indistinct) in their communique, evidence of the fact that dr jaramillo's bodyguards reacted and, i understand, by killing one of the assassins, at least that is what i have heard, and arrested another one, which has been confirmed, shows that the government is indeed offering protection.    therefore, dr. jaramillo was indeed enjoying government protection just as the other presidential candidates are.  what happens is that the assassins carry out surprise attacks.  at a given moment, an approaching person can can pull out a weapon and kill whomever he wants.  there is no 100-percent prevention against this.  this holds true not only in colombia but in many countries in the world.  the very course of these terrible events of this morning at the aiport show that dr jaramillo was indeed protected.    (reporter) the up has just announced that it will file suit against you for this assassination.    (lemos) that is fine.  if the up has any evidence that i am involved in dr. jaramillo's assassination, then it must file suit, because otherwise, it would be acting as an accomplice to this assassination.  i believe that suits must be filed by those who suspect that a government official, and myself particularly, may be involved in the assassination, to ensure that the incident is investigated.  therefore, i believe that this is good news amid a sea of bad news that we have heard today.    (reporter) (words indistinct) only responsibility for physical safety, but there is also political responsibility.  you are being accused of political irresponsibility and of not responsibile for physical safety.  (continued)

myself

government official

assassins

government

jaramillo ossa


Input: bernardo jaramillo ossa, the 36-year-old patriotic union (up) presidential candidate, has died from gunshot wounds, angelino garzon, spokesman for that political organization, has reported.

bernardo jaramillo ossa


Input: the colombian teachers federation, fecode, has just announced it will hold a nationwide 48-hour strike to protest the assassination of bernardo jaramillo ossa, presidential candidate of the patriotic union (up).    the up coordinating board in uraba has also ordered that a strike by held in that region.    the national security council will be meeting at the narino palace in bogota in approximately 20 minutes.  it will be chaired by president virgilio barco.    protests and disorder have been reported in some areas of bogota. a bus was set on fire near the up headquarters. there have also protests at the national university and near the central police hospital where jaramillo ossa was taken and died.

bernardo jaramillo ossa


Input: radio cadena nacional has learned that defense minister general oscar botero restrepo has ordered the indefinite confinement of national police and military forces to their barracks. they are to stay there until it is clear that the public order situation resulting from the assassination of bernardo jaramillo ossa, patriotic union (up) presidential candidate, is under control.    meanwhile, a national security council meeting is taking place at the narino presidential palace.  the participants are discussing the incidents that disrupted the daily lives of all colombians today when a terrorist killed up president bernardo jaramillo at the el dorado international airport.    we have also learned that president virgilio barco and government minister carlos lemos simmonds have been in constant contact with the police authorities and the administrative department of security, das, in an effort to learn all the details following the attack on jaramillo.  (passage indistinct) the offices of the das.    to avoid confusing reports and misinterpretations, all reports have been released through through the government ministry, which is headed by dr. carlos lemos simmonds.

terrorist

bernardo jaramillo ossa


Input: otto sorto milla, the son-in-law of general rafael villamariona, chief of the salvadoran air force, was wounded in an attack in san salvador today and is in "serious condition," according to military spokesmen and doctors.    the sources pointed out that sorto milla, 25, was machinegunned from a moving vehicle while leaving his home, located in the luxurious san francisco neighborhood in southwest san salvador.    doctors told acan-efe that gen. villamariona's son-in-law is "in serious condition" at a private hospital, where he was admitted at 1030 (1630 gmt), but they did not specify where the bullet wounds were or the number of bullets that hit him.    military spokesmen said that sorto milla had bullet wounds in several parts of the body, but they refused to provide more details as long as the police are conducting investigations to capture the assailants.    gen. villamariona, considered to be one of the hard-line military chiefs of the armed forces, was appointed to his present post in january of this year replacing general rafael bustillo, who was appointed military attache in israel.    the salvadoran air force (fas) played a key role during the last guerrilla military offensive in november 1989, and it was accused by opposition groups, humanitarian organizations, and the catholic church of indiscriminately bombing poor neighborhoods of the capital to dislodge reported guerrilla redoubts.    the attack on sorto milla took place a week after the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) suspended its attacks on civilian government employees to contribute to the creation of conditions for the resumption of the dialogue with president alfredo cristiani's government.    official sources have not disclosed who they believe carried out the attack or provided any background information on sorto milla.

otto sorto milla


Input: amid all the confusion and alarm that today prevails throughout the country, what would dr. lloreda do to restore public tranquility?  what is the immediate and most urgent thing to do?    (lloreda) juan, i believe that security is no longer an academic issue; it has become an anguished need for colombia.  this will probably mean that we will have to make many sacrifices if we want to put a stop to violence within a few years.  in fact, we will have to sacrifice some of the broad and generous freedom we have always enjoyed in this country.  given these deplorable actions, the security issue has become a priority, because one cannot live in a society in which its members are continuously threatened.  this not only refers to dr. jaramillo ossa's death, but also to other deaths that sometimes do not appear where they should, meaning the front page of the newspapers.    a week or two ago the police said that we have had an average of 54 violent deaths per day so far this year.  if this continues, we will have more than 12,000 murders in colombia by the time president barco turns over power on 7 august.  i believe, and i think you share the same viewpoint, that we have a world record for insecurity and violence.  therefore, we cannot take the risk of allowing the process of moral collapse and the state of insecurity that prevails in the country to continue.    we must strengthen the state so that it can successfully counter violence.  the plebiscite and the constituent assembly i have been proposing includes the need for the state to have efficient instruments to counter violent actions.  this is not, like i said in the beginning, an academic issue; and it is not a proposal presented by idealistic youths.  it is the expression of a nation that could disappear or lose its freedoms and democracy, if we do not act decisively and resolutely.  this is not a problem between political parties.    yesterday i presented my government platform and i issued a proposal to dr. (cesar) gaviria -- regardless of the 27 may electoral results, we must reach a patriotic agreement.  we can now do it in homage to bernardo jaramillo so that the idea of a plebiscite is sponsored.  thus, we will be able to make a thorough institutional reorganization.  we must sit down and think about colombia, rather than electoral leaders and organizations.  this is the only way we can offer solutions to future generations, because the colombian people are now looking to their future with uncertainty and fear.    (reporter) thank you, dr. lloreda, you are very kind.    (lloreda) thank you.


Input: panamanian foreign minister julio linares announced today that the government had granted safe-conducts to five former officials of the deposed regime, headed by general manual antonio noriega.  the five former government officials are presently at the ecuadoran embassy.    according to the announcement, former public works minister rene bultron, former labor minister cesar martans, former mortgage bank manager julio shaik, former tourism institute director bernardo dominguez, and former hyraulic resources and electrification institute director ovigildo herrera, are the former officials who will be able to travel to ecuador within the next few days.    linares added that the decision to grant a safe-conduct to former democratic revolutionary party legislator luis "lucho" gomez -- presently at the cuban embassy -- has been revoked because he faces charges of "kidnapping and physical and psychological torture against the panamanian citizen hernan arias."    the panamanian foreign minister also rejected the possibility of breaking relations with mexico or peru.  according to his explanation, the situation with cuba is different.  today, panama gave cuban ambassador lazaro mora five days to quit the country "because of the unjustified attacks by the cuban government against the national government."    former panama national bank manager rafael arosemena has taken refuge at the mexican embassy.  arosemena is charged with allowing a former command staff member of the eliminated panama defense forces (fdp) to cash checks made out to the bearer for $12 million.  the former fdp mayors heraclidis sucre medina and gonzalo gonzalez continue to stay at the peruvian embassy in panama.  they are charged with several crimes.


Input: tension prevailed this evening in the capital after the body of patriotic union (up) candidate bernardo jaramillo ossa was transferred to the oval room in the national congress, where he will lie in state until his funeral on 24 march.    bogota mayor andres pastrana arango decreed a dry law at noon, and suspended classes in private and public elementary and high schools tomorrow, 23 march.    the president attended a security council meeting at natino palace and the military commanders talked with journalists when leaving the premises.  defense minister oscar botero said that the medellin cartel planned and carried out the assassination upon instructions from pablo escobar gaviria, who made a down payment of 300,000 pesos to andres arturo gutierrez, the assassin hired to perpetrate the crime.    the assassin, a 16-year-old youth, is recovering from his wounds and, in a preliminary declaration to the authorities, he confirmed who ordered the assassination.    moreover, das (administrative department of security) detective edison sanchez mendieta, who was wounded this morning at the airport terminal, was released this afternoon.    referring to the way in which the weapon was smuggled into the airport, the authorities said that this issue is being thoroughly investigated by security organizations -- because it could have been assembled inside the premises or smuggled in with the complicity of a maintenance worker.    riots, clashes, and the burning of tires and five buses was reported in several higher education centers of bogota, such as the free university, the pedagogical university, the national university; and in neighborhoods such as policarpa salavarrieta, garces navas, and soacha.  these actions resulted in the wounding of a policeman, whose condition is still critical.    teachers who are members of fecode (colombian federation of educators) have ordered a two-day strike starting tomorrow.  banana farm workers in uraba, where the assassinated leader worked as a labor lawyer, reacted similarly.    transportation activities have noticeably decreased in the capital since the mayor urged the citizenry to go home early in the evening.    the assassinated candidate's body is currently lying in state in the oval room of the national congress.

pablo escobar gaviria

andres arturo gutierrez

medellin cartel

bernardo jaramillo ossa

edison sanchez mendieta


Input: according to a bogota metropolitan police provisional report, public order disturbances, resulting from the murder of patriotic union (up) candidate bernardo jaramillo ossa, have resulted in the death of one 10th infantry brigade soldier, the injuring of two policemen, the arrest of over 120 people, and the destruction of five public buses.  official spokesmen of the metropolitan police have reported that during disturbances in the policarpa neighborhood, 10th infantry brigade soldier arturo bernal was shot to death.    meanwhile, policemen gabriel horacio garay and henry moreno ramirez were injured in other sectors of bogota.  the policemen, who suffered various injuries, were taken to a police hospital.    also, during clashes at policarpa, boza, and izu neighborhoods and downtown bogota, five public buses were burned causing losses in the millions.    the police spokesmen also told this radio station that at least 120 people were detained during the night and early this morning during the various disturbances.    however, the spokesmen stated, the public order situation is under control in the special district area, where strict security measures, a dry law, school closures, the confinement of troops to their barracks, and other measures have been adopted.

bernardo jaramillo ossa


Input: diego montana cuellar, president of the patriotic union (up), has received a letter signed by pablo escobar gaviria, in which he emphatically denies any participation in the assassination of bernardo jaramillo ossa.    the letter, which carries escobar gaviria's signature and fingerprint, was also sent to the medellin media.    in his letter to the up, escobar gaviria stated: i always liked, admired, and respected bernardo jaramillo.    escobar gaviria disclosed that he met several times to intercede with gonzalo rodriguez gacha to ensure that jaramillo ossa's life would be respected.  escobar gaviria added: this can be confirmed by many members of jaramillo ossa's political movement and even by some of his das (administrative department of security) bodyguards who were witnesses at those meetings.  (sentence as heard)    in his letter to montana cuellar, escobar gaviria said he was amazed by how easily and quickly the government has found someone to blame.    state security agency spokesmen said on 22 march that they have proof linking escobar gaviria to the assassination. the associated press (ap) has also received telephone calls in which an alleged spokesmen of the medellin cartel claimed responsibility for the assassination of jaramillo ossa.    in his letter to the up, escobar gaviria disavows those calls, stating: why should i attack someone who was firmly opposed to colombia surrendering to the united states?

pablo escobar gaviria

medellin cartel

bernardo jaramillo ossa


Input: in view of the continuing wave of crimes and terrorist attacks, the peruvian government today declared a state of emergency in lima and the neighboring port of callao to safeguard the elections scheduled for 8 april this year.    the interior ministry has issued a communique announcing that police forces throughout the country have been "absolutely forbidden from taking leave" (inamobilidad absoluta) to protect political candidates and citizens in general.


Input: it was reported today that members of the peasant defense patrol killed, with clubs and machetes, three peasants allegedly involved with terrorists and kidnapped 17 others in a town of the andean province of ayacucho, 576 km southeast of lima.    witnesses told the police that at least 300 militiamen from the vichos and condoray districts, 17 km from ayacucho, attacked the santa barbara village early on 15 march and overpowered the residents with machetes and clubs.    witnesses said that the militia members killed brothers efrain, isaac, and maximo prado, on charges of being linked with shining path terrorists, and kidnapped 17 alleged shining path terrorists who were taken to an unknown place.    according to the police at least 40 "members of the peasant defense patrol" from vichos and condoray died in a clash with terrorists in january.  the terrorists then headed for the neighboring town of santa barbara, where peasants allegedly helped them.    the source said that "if the charge made by the peasants is proven to be true, the reason for the attack could be in retaliation for the great number of peasant defense patrol members killed two months ago."    the so-called "peasant defense patrols" were created by the army four years ago to struggle against shining path terrorists in distant places which lack security forces.    the national police have reported that a large number of people apparently died in a clash between a police patrol and a column of terrorists in the interior of the andean province of tarma, 350 km east of lima.    the source said the firefight early yesterday lasted several hours and that it was not possible to know how many people died in the clash due to the poor communications systems.    senator enrique bernalez, who specializes in political violence, today reported that terrorism has claimed the lives of at least 607 peruvian so far this year, including civilians and military.


Input: residents of the country's northern region have reported new, mass infiltrations of contras from honduras who penetrate deeply into the mountains to continue sowing terror among the area's inhabitants.    according to marvin flores, political secretary of the sandinist front (sandinist national liberation front), peasants have reported that contras are infiltrating through jicaro and murra and that they steal, kidnap, and murder anyone who does not cooperate with their vandalism.  he added that another objective of the contra groups is to attack positions of the sandinist people's army as part of the plan not to surrender their weapons when the time comes for them to demobilize as stipulated in the agreements signed by the central american presidents.    the inhabitants of jicaro and murra and the people's militias have stepped up the revolutionary surveillance in view of the presence of contra groups led by rebel leaders dimas, oscar, and green.


Input: a car full of dynamite exploded in front of the economy ministry in lima today, killing one person and injuring five others.  the police reported that several other explosions were heard throughout the city.    the shock wave of the "car bomb" shattered the windows on many of the 12 floors of the economy ministry and neighboring buildings, according to eyewitnesses.  the national police reported that the person who died has not yet been identified, while the people who were injured had been selling trinkets around the building.    according to initial reports, police officers guarding the economy ministry were not injured.  (passage omitted)

economy ministry

dynamite

car bomb


Input: the maoist shining path terrorist organization and the tupac amaru revolutionary movement (mrta) are staging attacks in an attempt to make the people boycott the 8 april peruvian elections.    a bomb exploded early this morning near the house of health minister paul caro gamarra.  caro's wife said that the house, which is in the port of el callao, lacks police protection.    the headquarters of the center-rightist democratic front (fredemo), whose presidential candidate is the writer mario vargas llosa, was bombed last night.  the mrta claimed the attack through leaflets left at the scene.    the mrta also planted explosives and left leaflets beside five fredemo placards.    forty members of fredemo were at the headquarters, which is on an important lima avenue, when the attack occurred.  nobody was injured. david cifuentes, a deputy candidate of the ruling american popular revolutionary alliance (apra) today said that there is a terrorist plot to kill the presidential candidates.    on 14 march cifuentes escaped unharmed from an attack on the car in which he was travelling.  his bodyguard died in the attack which occurred 40 km from the city of cajamarca.    the terrorists placed big stones at a curve in the road which caused the vehicle to run off the road.  the attackers then opened fire on the car.    cifuentes fell out of the vehicle and broke his arm in two places, and is now in hospital.    shining path members recently murdered 19 people, including 10 children, in a small village near huancayo city, 415 km south of lima. this act clearly shows that the maoists are determined to continue killing and destroying.    some 300 people were murdered by the shining path during the boycott of the municipal elections on 12 november 1989.    the attacks perpetrated by the mrta last night belies the alleged announcement that they will cease to use violence.  this announcement was published by a local newspaper two days ago.    united left deputy gustavo espinosa, in a statement to the daily onda, said that if the mrta is truly seeking a political way to turn in their weapons "they would contribute to the pacification of the country."    however, espinosa said that one cannot consider an end to the violence until there is more proof of their announcement.    during the past 10 years, the shining path and the mrta have perpetrated more than 16,000 attacks which have caused damage estimated at $10,000.  this estimate was prepared by the congressional commission in charge of assessing the effects and causes of political violence in peru.    during president alan garcia's term of office the terrorists have perpetrated 10,621 attacks, which represents an average of more than six attacks per day during his five years in power.    fatal victims of political violence amount to approximately 19,000, of which 700 have died during 1990.

terrorists

shining path members

shining path

tupac amaru revolutionary movement

house of health minister paul caro gamarra

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headquarters of the center-rightist democratic front

mario vargas llosa

members of fredemo

cifuentes


Input: in previous broadcasts we reported honduran troop incursions into salvadoran territory. we have received new reports of such incursions.    honduran troops entered 2 km inside salvadoran territory, in zancudo village, in the area of sabanetas canton, perquin jurisdiction, at 1200 on 19 march.  they took 22-year-old gilberto molasco, son of patricio rodriguez, and 17-year-old andres argueta, son of emimesio argueta.  they were taken from their homes and their whereabouts are unknown.    on 17 march, the troops arrived in palo blanco village and they searched the house of leonor veliz, threating to capture her son, cristiano benitez.  they beat him up, accusing him of being a guerrilla, and they stole their documents and money.  they also told them not to report the action to the red cross, threating to kill them if they did so.    the residents of these border villages issue an appeal to the international human rights organizations because they are concerned about the fate of the two youths captured by honduran army troops.

troops

gilberto molasco

andres argueta

cristiano benitez


Input: the national police have reported that the "patriotic liberation front" (frente patriotico de liberacion) bombed three important public buildings in lima today, causing a lot of property damage but no casualties.    a police source reported that groups from this new terrorist movement attacked the city hall of san juan de miraflores, on the outskirts of lima; an electrolima (lima electric power enterprise) office; and an entelperu (national telecommunications enterprise of peru) office in the miraflores and surco districts of lima. the source added: "this new terrorist organization wants to intimidate the people to prevent them from exercising their right to vote on election day (8 april)."    in these elections the people will elect the president of the republic, two vice presidents, 180 deputies, and 60 senators.  it is believed that at least 10 million peruvians will vote.    up to now the police have attributed the most serious attacks and crimes to the maoist "shining path" group and the marxist "tupac amaru revolutionary movement" (mrta). the "shining path" and the "mrta" are responsible for the deaths of at least 700 people this year, including a dozen candidates for congressional seats and regional assemblies and some thirty members of the security forces.

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frente patriotico de liberacion

city hall


Input: according to official gn reports, venezuela, where banking is losely controlled and no laws against money laundering exist, a system or department of financial investigations is to be established.    gn commander general manuel ibedaca romero agreed to talk about the topic during a recent interview with el nacional.    (ojeda) general, much has been said about venezuela's alleged vulnerabilty to the international drug trafficking cartels.  is this true? is there a danger that venezuela could become an operational base for the cocaine mafia?  is it true that heavy investments have been detected near the border and other areas of the country, with money of which no one knows the source?  what is being done to control this flow of capital?    (ibedaca) i share this concern.  it is very simple: when you are in a building or a house and there are problems in your neighbor's house, this of course directly affects you because of the unrest, because there might be an uncomfortable situation where for example, you might have to testify.    ibedaca thus begins his explanations with a simple, easy-to-understand domestic analogy.  he admits that venezuela "is in a situation that should really catch our attention, because venezuela borders colombia and we know that coca is produced mainly in bolivia, peru, ecuador, and is processed in colombia.  colombia is america's great cocaine laboratory.  drug traffickers have recently suffered hard setbacks through recent actions by the colombian army and national police in which the heads of these organizations have been killed and great amounts of money and cocaine and a number of airplanes have been seized.  to transport what is left, they will, of course, have to look for a better place and this is where we have several vulnerabilities."    (ojeda) like what?    (ibedaca) the extensive border, the plains near it with clandestine landing strips; the proximity to easy-to-use ports and airports. through the antidrug trafficking services and together with the disip (directorate of intelligence and prevention services) and the metropolitan police, we have a plan and we have taken definite actions to fight it.  aware of this, we have established a system of investment controls in these states near colombia.  we are receiving reports of property registrations, but we need to take more effective measures, because we need greater control and supervision in this area, especially commercial operations.    in 1986, three years after the drug law went into effect, the gn's antidrug division made a record confiscation of 29,698 kilos of marijuana (nearly 30 tons), a figure that dropped significantly in 1988, and increased in 1989.    since it was founded by general german sepulveda sierra, this office has been in charge of coordinating and planning actions that the gn develops against drug trafficking, even though it is limited by the drug law as an adjunct to the tribunals.  in other words, the files must be turned over to the judicial technical police (ptj).    it is currently called the directorate of the services against drug trafficking and is directed by brigadier general ramon guillen davila, who also agreed to talk to el nacional.    (guillen) the fight against drugs has been a job of the gn during all of its existence.  i have been in it since i was a sublieutenant. now it is called the "modern crime" and one of the most difficult wars to fight.    (ojeda) precisely because of that war, the big colombian traffickers have proposed to their country's government formulas to achieve peace and retire from the drug business.  are these proposals from the drug cartels sincere?  we asked the general.    (guillen) i think that it is only a strategy to gain time and seek their own solutions.  it is not strange that they are pretending to turn venezuela into an "operational base."  there is democracy and liberty of movement and investment here.  in just san antonio del tachira, there are 76 exchange houses and only one meets the requirements of the law.  when we have pressured the peracal tax registry, we got complaints from a lot of people.  the venezuelan air and highway system is very favorable to them.  neighboring countries connect with europe through venezuela.  a lot of merchandise goes through in transit, and when they seize a shipment, what they say is that the airplane "came from venezuela."  (continued)


Input: the attacks on five offices of the democratic front (fredemo), which is headed by mario vargas llosa, on the office of the ruling american popular revolutionary alliance, apra, and against one telephone exchange, two banks, one store, and one movie theater, show that terrorism in peru continues to be used in an attempt to boycott the 8 april elections.    one girl was wounded during the explosions that occurred in lima yesterday, and four individuals were arrested while looting two shoe stores and a market and urging people to join them.    the attacks seriously damaged the offices of the political parties, especially that of the fredemo, but no one was injured.    the pagina libre newspaper today reported that seven alleged members of the movement of the revolutionary left (mir) were arrested in the city of trujillo, 570 km north of lima.  the mir is a faction of the pro-guevara tupac amaru revolutionary movement (mrta).    the maoist shining path terrorist organization has called for "an armed strike" -- a strike under threat of death -- in lima tomorrow. this is the third armed strike to be called by this organization so far this month.    a 48-hour armed strike was called in ayacucho, the birthplace of the shining path organization and the other one in huanta.    president alan garcia yesterday delivered 170 patrol cars to the national police.  he urged the police to resolutely face the increasing wave of terrorism and to make use of all available resources.    the national police yesterday commissioned a squad of 16 motorcycles to patrol the city and to go directly to the sites of attacks.    it is expected that subversives will increase the number of attacks in a wave of terror before the elections and this is why the police and military forces have been put on alert.    about 100,000 policemen have been put on alert throughout the country following the murder last week of four candidates for deputies, an apra leader, and the managers of several businesses in lima, and other cities.    lima and callao have been placed in a state of emergency, which means that individual guarantees have been suspended.    yesterday ayacucho was left in darkness after a shining path attack.  at least three people were killed, several were wounded, and various arrests were made by the police.    yesterday was the most violent day in ayacucho since last november when municipal elections were held.  the elections were then annulled because of the high number of null and blank votes.    last week in huancayo, 415 km southeast of lima, an apra candidate for deputy was murdered.  yesterday an individual was wounded when a car bomb exploded causing extensive material damage.    yesterday in chiclayo, in northern peru, a bomb was thrown at the house of fredemo candidate for deputy miguel angel bartra, who was not in the house at the time.    in la libertad department a terrorist group took over the guadalupito town early yesterday morning in an effort to find the local apra secretary general and the town's mayor.    when the terrorists could not find them, they blew up the offices of the municipality and the power station causing an outage in the zone.    the strikes affecting 100,000 workers in the country continue and the strikers have rejected the "labor truce" until the elections are over that had been requested by interior minister agustin mantilla.    mantilla said that the strikes "are bordering on the seditious and the criminal."    in the last 10 years political violence in peru has caused 19,000 deaths, of which 700 have occurred so far this year.

terrorist group

shining path

offices of the democratic front

office of the ruling american popular revolutionary alliance

telephone exchange

banks

store

movie theater

house

offices of the municipality

power station

miguel angel bartra

car bomb

bomb


Input: there was an exchange of gunfire this morning at puerto obaldia, near the colombian border, which left two persons dead and one missing. according to preliminary reports, one of the persons killed was a member of the public forces, but he has not yet been identified.  the other person killed was a colombian.


Input: the reformist sector of the leftist patriotic union (up) today resigned from the party's national coordinating board, creating an unprecedented crisis in its five years of political life.    during the second day of its plenum, twelve of its 20 members, including up president diego montana cuellar, resigned from the national coordinating board, which also includes activists of the communist party of colombia (pcc).    according to sources close to the up, the reformist faction resigned from the coordinating board because it believes that what is needed in colombia is a broad social democratic movement, such as that advocated by up presidential candidate bernardo jaramillo ossa, who was assassinated on 22 march.    the leftist sources consulted by efe indicated today that the possibility of participating in the 27 may presidential elections, at least with a joint up and pcc candidate, is growing more distant.    while the up's reformist faction rejects the armed path as a means to achieve power, the sector known as the radicals, in other words, the eight members who did not resign from the coordinating board, agree on using different forms of struggle, including guerrilla struggle.    the eight members who did not resign belong to the pcc.    in addition to montana, leaders angelino garzon, guillermo banguero, alberto rojas puyo, julio santana, and luis emiro valencia were among those who resigned.    at the same time, 12 members of the national committee, another section of the party, also resigned.  they are also from the reformist faction.    the friction with the reformists or perestroyka supporters began on 28 march, the first day of sessions of the plenum, when angelino garzon charged that the pcc had intercepted jaramillo ossa's letters.    another reason for the division within the colombian left was the not very favorable results in the 11 march legislative and municipal elections, when the up and the pcc lost several seats in the colombian congress.    up to 22 march, the day when jaramillo was assassinated, he was the single presidential candidate of the up and the pcc, but after his death, both parties agreed to hold a plenum to decide whether they will participate in the elections.

bernardo jaramillo ossa


Input: obvious progress has been made in solving the regional conflict in central america.  venezuelan president carlos andres perez will mediate a meeting in caracas between salvadoran rebels and a government delegation.  confidential negotiations between guatemalan guerrillas and representatives of the national reconciliation commission will also be held in the norwegian capital, oslo.    listen what our commentator leonid levcheko has to say:    these two meetings have one point in common: both have been made possible thanks to the initiative and the mediation of the most diverse circles, which are interested in putting out the fire in central america.  the caracas meeting coincides with the start today of the official visit by salvadoran president alfredo cristiani.    venezuelan chief of state carlos andres perez, who welcomed cristiani, has already held talks with the salvadoran rebels delegation.    the venezuelan chief of state will act as mediator in the dialogue between the salvadoran government and the rebels when they sit at the negotiating table.  the oslo meeting was conceived at the initiative of the lutheran and catholic churches.  this is a big advance if one considers that the first and last direct negotiations between the guatemalan government and the guerrillas took place in october 1987 in spain.  they were then suspended and never resumed.    (passage indistinct) but it has not been easy to advance toward national reconciliation in all the countries involved in the central american conflict.  before the esquipulas agreement was signed in 1967 by the central american presidents, many international forces, which hindered a solution, were involved in the central american conflict.    the military chiefs of el salvador and guatemala also rejected the negotiation process, assuming that they could defeat the rebel movement.  in fact, during 10 years of civil war more than 70,000 people have been killed in el salvador and in nearly 30 years of conflict in guatemala more than 100,000 have been killed.    it is obvious that the fratricidal war is absurd both in el salvador and in guatemala.  it is time that, following the example of nicaragua, other countries contribute to restore peace in the area. this is why the reports coming from caracas and oslo have been greeted with great interest.  it is clear that a just solution is possible in central america if only the principles of international law are strictly followed and the countries' sovereignty is respected by not meddling in the internal affairs of other states.    this is the essence of the soviet view on central america.


Input: bogota domestic service in spanish at 0230 gmt begins to broadcast live or recorded a speech by president virgilio barco vargas from the narino palace in bogota.  reception is fair to poor.    barco begins his address by expressing his concern over the disnformation campaign surrounding the recent events that have taken place.  he goes on to cite the various items being published by the country's media concerning secret dealings with drug traffickers, a relaxation of actions against the drug traffickers, and other stories which he insists are not true.    he blames narcoterrorism for the violence and confusion warns that some people are beginning to blame the government.  barco notes that the government respects the media and suggests that public opinion is being manipulated.  he then touches on the controversy regarding the kidnapping of the son of the secretary general of the presidency. barco says: "the government, in the case of the kidnapping of dr. montoya's son, as on other unfortunate occasions, including the cases of dr. andres pastrana and dr. alvaro gomez, and even cases in which members of the armed forces have been kdnapped by subversives, has considered as appropriate and valuable the efforts made by those who performed humanitarian duties and showed good will for their release." he adds that neither the security council nor the president can be prevented from ascertaining information which could lead to the release of hostages.    barco says that the struggle against narcoterrorism has not been easy. he adds that keeping the hopes of the nation alive, rather than enhancing the country's image, is the goal.  he adds that the country will not survive with its problems, noting his upcoming european trip to speak out against the dangers of drug trafficking and to reaffirm the country's good name.    in ending his address, barco urges calm and warns against division, adding that this is the goal of the enemies of the fatherland.  he urges everyone to defend their democracy.    barco ends his address at 0250 gmt.    further as warranted.


Input: 1. on 28 march 1990, the army and the national police elite corps carried out military operations in the higher parts of envigado municipality.    2.  in said operations, the elite corps arrested colombian citizens freddy lopez ospina and jose cristanto retavista arzon, who remain missing.    3.  in the past few months in medellin, it has been the custom of the elite corps to arrest people and take them to the carlos holguin police academy, where they are tortured and executed by members of the bogota dijin (directorate of judicial police and investigations), who are in the capital of antioquia.    4.  we have denounced these events publicly on several occasions, but president barco has responded in statements to the press that those members of the elite corps are defenders of democracy.    5.  the commander of the elite corps in antioquia, and colonel pelaez, chief of the bogota dijin, are responsible for the murder of all our comrades and for the disappearance of the two aforementioned citizens.    6.  in previous communiques, we publicly requested the creation of separate prisons and the permanent establishment of a branch of the attorney general's office in such prisons, but the government, an accomplice, has been silent with regard to our proposals.    7.  if the citizens who were arrested in envigado are not presented to their respective families, in reprisal we will place a bomb containing 5,000 kg of dynamite in one of the main residential neighborhoods of the bogota oligarchy.    8.  for each colombian who is turned over to the united states, we will place a 5,000-kg bomb in the capital of the republic.    9.  we will execute progovernment judges, traitorous politicians, torturers, and the main members of the (cano) family.    the extraditables, 30 march 1990

commander of the elite corps in antioquia

colonel pelaez

national police elite corps

extraditables

freddy lopez ospina

jose cristanto retavista arzon

5,000 kg of dynamite


Input: official sources have reported that five policemen and a civilian were killed, and at least 24 soldiers injured when a vehicle loaded with explosives exploded on 2 april near a police precinct located on the southwestern outskirts of san salvador.    the armed forces press committee (coprefa) confirmed that the terrorist attack occurred at 0615 (1315 gmt) (as received) on monday in santa tecla, 12 km from the capital.    the official report reveals that a company of policemen from the technical police instruction center, an agency of the national police, was exercising near the precinct when a powerful explosive charge in a pick-up truck went off as the policeman went by.  a coprefa spokesman has suggested that the vehicle was probably activated by remote control by a guerrilla unit.

guerrilla unit

police precinct

vehicle loaded with explosives


Input: presidents daniel ortega saavedra, oscar arias sanchez, rafael leonardo callejas, marco vinicio cerezo arevelo, alfredo cristiani:    in el salvador a serious dialogue-negotiation process has begun thanks to the mediation of the united nations through its secretary general mr. javier perez de cuellar.  this implies that any peace formula must take into account this negotiation process to ensure that it is based on our particular reality and the guarantees offered by this international organization.    we believe that the negotiation's main objective should be the country's democratization, because while peaceful central american and world developments are marked by a consolidation of democracy, el salvador is quite far from experiencing this.    the army holds society's real power.  this prevents justice being applied in the horrendous assassinations of monsignor romero, jesuit priests, fenastras (salvadoran workers national union federation) members, and dr. hector oqueli.  under such conditions, impunity continues to be institutionalized and it is not possible to enforce respect for human rights.    daily life is marked by repression against the popular movement an frequent murders, while arena (nationalist republican alliance) applies pressures and forces, by various means, the restriction of information to the media by limiting freedom of speech.    it is therefore evident that el salvador is the country that has failed to comply with the main goals of esquipulas ii -- the achievement of national reconciliation, democratization, and a negotiated political solution.    this situation, which is accompanied by a permanent state of siege is worsened by great restrictions on the political system that prevent the development of civilian society.    it suffices to mention the case of the electoral system: in nicaragua, a country with half of our country's population, the supreme electoral council registered 1.9 million citizens in only four sundays; in el salvador, in eight years, the electoral registry registered 1.6 million citizens for the recent elections and only 1 million actually voted.  (continued)


Input: in contrast, el salvador, which has the second largest population in central america, has the smallest parliament with only 60 deputies.    the social conflict is worsened by a war that no one has won.  the time has come to let civilian society win.  to achieve that we require:    -- the purging, restructuring, and reduction of the army and movement toward a civilian society, an absolutely demilitarized society.    -- the end of impunity through the trial and punishment of the masterminds and perpetrators of the assassination of msgr romero, fenastras members, jesuit priests, and dr. oqueli.  these trials are the foundation that will ensure that reform of the judicial system is credible.    -- guarantees of the framework of democratic liberties.    -- via a plesbicite in the 1991 elections, that the next assembly implement amendments to the constitution, such as the expansion of the legislative assembly and the creation of a constitutional framework for the demilitarization of society.    -- reform of the electoral sytem to register, by may this year at the latest, nearly 3 million eligible salvadoran voters to allow them to participate in the 1991 elections.    -- the carrying out of the upcoming elections without a military presence and with the participation of international observers at least six months before and until the installation of the new assembly.    the fmln is willing to reach accords on all these issues and to implement simultaneous steps from a de-intensification of the war and an end of hostilities to accords to end the armed conflict and the reincorporation of our forces into political life in keeping with and parallel to the aforementioned measures taking place.    we express our willingness to fully support a national registratio drive to give all eligible salvadoran voters the opportunity to vote and contribute toward ensuring that the upcoming elections, as was the case in nicaragua, will help establish the bases for lasting peace.    presidents: the fmln's objectives are democratization, respect for human rights, establishment of a genuine legal state, demilitarization, and establishment of a national economic policy as the only means to ensure that our people will peacefully move up to better levels of well-being and development.  in this regard, we believe that your best contribution would be to help promote democratization in el salvador and to advocate a negotiations process that is begun at the united nations.    (signed) fmln general command: commanders salvador sanchez ceren, francisco jovel, shafick jorge handal, eduardo sancho, and joaquin villalobos.


Input: kidnapping is one of colombia's most profitable industries to the extent that, according to police statistics, four people have been kidnapped every day so far in 1990, a figure double that of the same period in 1989.  the judicial police and investigations directorate (dijin) this week reported that 326 people have been kidnapped for extortion purposes so far this year.    dijin said that the number of kidnappings in this period doubled the number of kidnappings during the same period in 1989.    according to the administrative department of security (das), in 1989, cattlemen paid 2 billion pesos ($5 million) to kidnappers and blackmailers who threatened capturing or assassinating them if they failed to pay.    according to das, guerrillas or criminals stole 10,000 head of cattle in 1989 and have stolen 1,500 of the animals so far in 1990.    sources consulted by efe, both police sources and those who study the colombian reality, have pointed out that guerrillas participate in 20 to 30 percent of the kidnapping business and common criminals in 70 to 80 percent.    these percentages of participation in the industry of kidnapping are only estimates nearly impossible to check because in many cases guerrillas kidnap people to finance their activities and do not claim responsibility for it.    in addition, many people are kidnapped by common criminals, but the crime is reported as being perpetrated by guerrillas in an attempt to cover up the malefactor's actions.    according to the das, cordoba, in the country's northeast, is the department most affected by this kind of crime.  other hard hit departments are antioquia in the northwest, santander in the northeast, and cauca in the southwest.    according to the das report, the situation has become so untenable that its seems impossible to restore social balance in cordoba on a mid-term basis because the population has accustomed itself to coexisting with these irregularities or repulsing them with mechanisms other than those stipulated by law.    mechanisms other than those stipulated by law referred to by the das are usually cattlemen organizing themselves into self-defense paramilitary groups or death squads.    these paramilitary groups defend their properties or mount raids against peasants considered accomplices or informants of leftist guerrillas or common criminals who blackmail them.    according to the das, one of the causes of this situation is social disruption and the precarious economic situation of the communities located in municipalities and localities that lack the most basic services, a reality that is most glaring in cordoba.    five guerrilla groups are active in colombia.  the most belligerent and the one that has used kidnapping to the fullest extent is the pro-castro national liberation army (eln).    the other groups are the communist revolutionary armed forces of colombia (farc), the maoist people's liberation army (epl), the indigenist quintin lame, and the trotskyist revolutionary workers' party (prt).


Input: the guatemalan vice president arrived in madrid this afternoon.  on his arrival he spoke to our correspondent, hector arenas, at barajas airport.    (begin recording) (arenas) guatemalan vice president roberto carpio who is now in spain said that his government suports the conciliation council meeting taking place in oslo, where talks are being held with the guatemalan guerrillas to put an end to the climate of violence which this central american country has been experiencing for years; scores of people are dead or missing.  according to vice president carpio the international situation today in no way justifies terrorist actions or armed movements.    (carpio, in progress) ...this is good progress and in this connection to recognize that our countries have changed.  it is not the guatemala of five or six years ago, when there were autocratic and military regimes.  today we are in a process of democratization and in this connection we all ought to involve ourselves in it.  therefore, i think, this is the begining of something which could end the armed struggle in guatemala, as it should also end throughout all central america.  (end recording)


Input: during the searches today in medellin, the capital of antioquia department, the authorities discovered what they have termed as a very important communications center of the medellin cartel.    as part of the metropolitan police operations, in response to the attacks against army members in medellin, the authorities today dismantled a communications center belonging to the medellin cartel. in a residence located in el poblado neighborhood, the authorities found 15 portable communication radios; two cordless telephones; two magnetic antennas for radios; three icom receivers; seven batteries; 12 antennas for portable radios; five voltage regulators; and four adapters.    according to the police report, documents linking several people with the assassinations of luis carlos galan sarmiento, bernardo jaramillo ossa, and of colonel valdemar franklin quintero were found at the medellin cartel communications center, as well as documents about the perpetrators of the attack on the das (administrative department of security) headquarters in bogota, and against the avianca hk1803 plane.  police sources reported that no arrests were made.

perpetrators

the avianca hk1803 plane

luis carlos galan sarmiento

bernardo jaramillo ossa

valdemar franklin quintero


Input: what is the position of the armed forces concerning the presidential summit in nicaragua and the upcoming dialogue to be held in geneva between the rebels and the government?  will the armed forces seek support for the dialogue and a solution to the conflict?    (ponce) last week the armed forces released a public message to the people explaining their stand and mentioning three basic points:    first, the armed forces support a dialogue that seeks peace in the country through mechanisms of understanding and agreement.    second, the armed forces express their loyalty to the president of the republic in these efforts and other efforts he may undertake to find the peace we all cherish in this country.    third, we possess the moral conviction and the obedience -- as ordered by the constitution -- as well as the humanistic awareness to promote and protect the human rights of all salvadorans.    those are the basic points included in our message to the salvadoran people that we announced last week.    as for the presidential summit being held in nicaragua, the armed forces wholeheartedly support the efforts undertaken by our government to find the mechanisms that will lead us to peace in the region.  that is why the president of the republic has our full support in this endeavour for finding peace and democracy throughout central america.    concerning the dialogue in geneva, i believe that tomorrow there will be a briefing with the participation of delegates from the government and the fmln (farabundo marti national liberation front) together with the un secretary general, who will announce the mechanisms to be followed in this dialogue between the government and the fmln.    (reporter) what do the armed forces think about the eight bombs that were detonated yesterday and killed six soldiers and one civilian?  what do you think about this now, since it is evident that explosives are again being used against the people?    (ponce) we, the armed forces, feel that these events are carried out by the terrorists within the fmln who do not believe dialogue is a mechanism for achieiving peace in our country.  these individuals believe that violence is what will lead them to power.  (continued)

terrorists

farabundo marti national liberation front

eight bombs


Input: they are completely out of context in history.  they had clearly announced that they would not use car bombs from now on, but they used one yesterday nevertheless.  this action is condemnable from every viewpoint because the members, rather the alumni, of cetipol (police instruction center) who were victims of this attack were unarmed. they were simply doing some physical exercises.  it is also deplorable that a baker was killed and that a 12-year-old youth going to school was injured.    we believe that these events do not contribute at all to the creation of the appropriate atmosphere for seeking peace in our country.  this and many other acts of violence which have recently occurred contradict the image that the fmln had previously tried to create with its decision not to continue sabotaging the public transportation and communications sectors, as well as businesses.  all these actions have continued to occur.  we want to believe that these actions have been carried out by terrorists who are out of the fmln leaders' control, because, as i said, this does not help at all to create the appropriate atmosphere in which to seek peace in our country.    (reporter) colonel, referring to the state of siege, will the armed forces insist on keeping it or not?  the legislative assembly president commented on this yesterday.    (ponce) this is a political decision anyway, and it is adopted by the assembly -- sometimes upon request from...    (reporter, interrupting) the defense ministry, you said.    (ponce) we, as an armed corps and with the intention of helping create the appropriate atmosphere for peace in our country, will make no request to extend the state of emergency and (words indistinct).    (reporter) does this mean that the armed forces decided this because the situation of violence has disappeared?    (ponce) taking into account the fact that current violent actions might come from groups outside the control of fmln leaders, we believe that the country's situation is not normal enough to say that there is no violence.  however, as a contribution to that propitious atmosphere for the dialogue, i believe that it is advisable to lift it.    (reporter) i have two questions: what is the armed forces' position regarding (words indistinct)?    (ponce) as for the first question, you are referring to statements by the president of the republic.  i believe that in due time he will have the opportunity to explain those statements.  i understand that the newsman distorted his words, but the president himself will have an opportunity to make the respective clarification.    i will, however, state that according to the reports that have been issued by the director general of the national police as to whether at any time colonel benavides has left the hands of the national police, he clearly said that at no time has benavides done this.  he is under the orders of the 4th penal judge, and at no time has the 4th penal judge authorized col. benavides to leave the confines of the jail.    the person who made the accusations should present some evidence, a photograph for example.  otherwise, this is all mere speculation. that is a very delicate case, and speculations cast a negative image on the armed forces and the country itself, and even on the administration of justice in our country.    concerning what could happen in the trial of the murder of the jesuits, the justice authorities will determine what will be done.  we will respect that decision.  (continued)

fmln

police instruction center


Input: approximately 800 heavily armed colombians without identification documents were discovered conducting illegal activities at the border between panama and colombia, according to government and justice minister ricardo arias calderon.    (begin recording) (arias calderon) there are colombians without identification at the border.  there are reports that they have been engaged in illegal activities.  there was an attack in puerto obaldia, in which a national policeman was killed by some colombian nationals. this is being investigated.  the colombian nationals have not yet been identified.  it is possible that both incidents are linked.  we are concerned about this and the government and justice ministry will take the proper measures at the proper time.    (reporter) do you know what type of illegal activities they are conducting there now?    (arias calderon) they are probably conducting contraband- related activities. (end recording)