Input: the high command of the armed forces is analyzing news reports about colonel sigifredo ochoa perez, president of an autonomous institution, having said that the officer involved in the death of six jesuits and their two maids "followed orders from above".    ochoa made those comments on a u.s. television newscast at a time when several members of (the u.s.) congress want to cut aid to el salvador and are conducting their own investigations of the case.  the results of their investigation will be known next week.    defense minister general rafael humberto larios confirmed on the morning of 24 april that the high command is analyzing ochoa's declarations and stressed that versions such as the one attributed to the official usually come from "interested parties."    larios, questioned when he bid farewell to president alfredo cristiani, who left for nicaragua on 24 april, said that "the case is in the courts and all those who have new evidence may approach them to contribute what they have so that it may be solved."    "both the army and the government want everything to be clarified within a fair and legal framework," he said.    army officers who asked to remain anonymous said on 24 april that "the comments made by ochoa, controversial politician and soldier known for his frequent outbursts, have no basis because he has no access to confidential armed forces sources due to his retired status."    however, the informers have said that "what ochoa said not only damages the army's image, but that of the entire country while it contributes to the defamation campaign being carried out abroad by interested parties, among them, the leaders of the fmln-fdr (farabundo marti national liberation front-revolutionary democratic front)."    they added that ochoa's declaration, "made without presenting any proof, endangers the military aid that the united states offers to el salvador and, at the same time, favors the internationalist left which intends to play the last card it has to assault power in this country."    the politicians' immediate reaction to ochoa perez' comments was to demand that he be more specific in his accusation.  pdc (christian democratic party) leader eduardo colindres said in a press conference that "ochoa perez has the moral obligation of naming" those of his comrades-in-arms he implicates in the death of the jesuits, since the version he gave to the television program that interviewed him is vague.    the politician said: "if he knows something, it is time that he bring it out into a public light so that justice authorities may take the appropriate paths."    meanwhile, in managua, spanish government officials who attended violeta chamorro's inauguration said that they were disappointed by the sluggish manner in which the investigations of the jesuits' case are apparently being carried out.  they said that they might mention the topic during the meetings they will hold with president cristiani in nicaragua.    reports from washington d.c. quote the leftist leader of the fdr, guillermo manuel ungo, as saying that "his efforts in the american capital to expose the situation in el salvador, are a success."    the sources said that ungo and his marxist-leninist allies want the u.s. senate to stop giving military aid to el salvador.  the sources also said that ungo discredits the army and the government and favors the legal recognition of the rebel groups operating in the country.    "everything seems to indicate that the leftist internationalists have unleashed a new disinformation offensive against el salvador with the aid of bad salvadorans," the sources said.    referring to other communist moves in the country, general larios said that the local leftists are preparing to stage terrorist actions and street disturbances over the next few days under the pretext of commemorating labor day.    larios urged the fmln-fdr terrorists to refrain from perpetrating violent actions, thus creating an adequate climate for the "dialogue" announced by the government to be held on 3 may.  "otherwise, the terrorists would be violating the commitments they made," larios pointed out.    in addition, it has been reported from costa rica that fmln-fdr leaders have said that they have prepared another offensive for the next few days.  this announcement has elicited strong rejection by various sectors.

officer


Input: following a meeting of the general staff with all the brigade and detachment commanders, the armed forces today issued a public communique describing the recent statements by colonel sigifredo ochoa perez as irresponsible and tendentious.  in parts, the communique pointed out that:    1.  we emphatically and categorically reject the recent statements by discharged col. sigifredo ochoa perez published in the local and foreign media.  these statements are irresponsible and tendentious and seek to create confusion and distrust in the national and international communities by trying to involve the members of the high command in the regrettable case of the death of the jesuit priests and their workers.    2.  we demand that both col. ochoa perez, as well as any other person having any information that could lead to clarifying this case or any other case, present it to the corresponding tribunals and not try to obtain political profit based on alleged statements that are added on to the campaign of disinformation that is being carried out in a systematic manner by national and international marxist-leninist terrorists.    3.  we condemn such irresponsible statements as they seek to undermine the institutionality of the state, and only favor the dark and nefarious interests of the enemies of democracy.    in concluding, the armed forces communique reaffirms its commitment to the institutionality of the country and the democratic process and pointed out that the institution is ruled by solid professional, moral, and ethical principles.  with this statement, all the commanders give their unconditional vote of confidence to the military high command of the armed forces.


Input: salvadoran guerrilla groups launched several attacks on several points of the salvadoran capital tonight causing blackouts and an undetermined number of dead, in addition to causing panic among the citizenry.    military spokesmen reported that the guerrilla attacks began at 2130 and were aimed at the public security forces' academy, located in the southern sector of the capital, and military positions in the wealthy escalon neighborhood, where the sheraton hotel is located.    a heavy barrage of rifle fire and explosions were heard for approximately one hour in the san ramon area, located in the northwestern sector of san salvador, while one air force helicopter overflew the city.    there were also reports of attacks on a military post at the central electoral council and other positions on the northwestern outskirts of the capital.    simultaneously, urban guerrilla commandos attacked the civil defense group in the costa rica neighborhood of southern san salvador.    several electric poles were brought down in various sectors of the city, causing blackouts over large areas.    there are still no official reports on the number of dead and wounded.    early this morning, guerrilla columns attacked the 1st infantry brigade's positions in mariona, located on the northern outskirts of san salvador, killing one soldier and wounding another.

salvadoran guerrilla groups

electric poles


Input: he armed forces have reported that a group of rebels belonging to the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) this morning staged an armed attack on the residence of salvadoran president alfredo cristiani.    the president was unharmed, but two policemen were killed and an army captain was wounded in the controntation, which took place in the exclusive escalon neighborhood in the northwestern part of the salvadoran capital, according to military spokesman mauricio chavez caceres.

a group of rebels

farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln)

the residence of salvadoran president alfredo cristiani

alfredo cristiani


Input: san salvador, 2 may (notimex) -- intense clashes were have been reported in san salvador and other parts of the country within the last few hours.  this is a new military maneuver by the guerillas to pressure the government into renewing the dialogue.    at least 10 soldiers were killed as a result of the harassment and attacks by the fmln (farabundo marti national liberation movement) in seven of the country's 14 departments.    according to official sources, the attacks were accompanied by sabotage to the electric service system.  the attacks started at 2030 on 2 may and continued until late this morning. (passage omitted)    the national energy enterprise reported that electric power will be rationed for at least four hours during this morning in most of the capital and other departments throughout the country.    meanwhile, fmln spokesmen made a telephone call to a local radio station reporting that the military maneuver unleashed on the national level is aimed at pressuring the alfredo cristiani government to renew the dialogue.    talks between the fnlm and the government are scheduled to start during the first part of this month, according to un secretary general javier perez de cuellar, who is acting as a mediator.    perez de cuellar's personal representative, alvaro de soto, today will deliver to president cristinai an fmln proposal to promote the dialogue.

the electric service system


Input: communique issued by the general command of the fmln: we announce that between the night of 1 may and the early morning of 2 may, our forces conducted several military operations in san salvador and other cities of the country in response to:    1. the prevailing total impunity of members of the armed forces in violating human rights, as demonstrated by the standstill reached in the trial, the evident cover up of the masterminds of the assassination of the jesuit priests, the release of the group of kidnappers, and the recent murder of a university professor and a cooperative leader.    2.  the military offensive launched by the armed forces in rural areas with indiscriminate bombings and arrests of civilians.    3.  the arrogant and boastful attitude of the government and the military because of an alleged weakness shown by the fmln, which obstructs the negotiation process.    4.  the unpopular economic measures and the plans to carry out the biggest economic fraud and act of corruption in our country's history with the privatization of banks.    we believe that:    1.  the u.s. congressional plan to cut only 50 percent of the military assistance to the government is not enough.  any assistance to terrorist armed forces only contributes to war and reduces the possibility for a short-term cease-fire agreement.    2.  as long as there are no guarantees for the entire society, as long as crimes committed by the military go unpunished, and as long as repression does not stop, war will continue.    finally we reiterate our willingness to continue the negotiation process.  consequently, we have already presented our positions to the government and are awaiting its reply so that we can start holding the negotiations.  (signed) general command of the fmln          el salvador, 2 may 1990

members of the armed forces

armed forces


Input: the 19 april movement (m - 19) today accused the colombian intelligence services of assassinating m-19 presidential candidate carlos pizarro.    "we attribute pizarro's death to the colombian security services," said m-19 directorate member rafael vergara during a news conference held in mexico city.    the political and diplomatic commission of the former rebel group turned political party has proposed the creation of an international group to permanently protect the presidential candidates' lives.    miguel marin, also a member of the m-19's directorate, pointed out the need for various international organizations to designate political personalities who would accompany each of the presidential candidates on their campaigns.    "we intend to check the triggers of the colombian oligarchy, who are to blame for the assassination of four presidential candidates in the past few years," the political movement's representatives said.    they denied that the m-19 is in favor of drug trafficking, but advocated the legalization of drugs and the nonextradition of drug producers.    the m-19 members said that the clarification of their top leader's death is essential for the credibility of virgilio barco's regime. they said that pizarro's basic proposals to pacify the country will be taken up by antonio navarro wolff, who replaced pizarro as the m-19's presidential candidate.    they asked the international community to help put an end to the arms traffic to colombia, because in 1989 foreign investment increased by 148 percent over that of 1988.    "what colombia needs is to attain peace with social justice.  for this reason, it is necessary to talk and negotiate with all of the influential sectors in colombia, including the drug traffickers," vergara and marin pointed out.

the colombian intelligence services

carlos pizarro


Input: a group purportedly representing young salvadoran military officers has called for a purge of the armed forces here, accusing their superiors of involvement in the massacre of six jesuit priests.    the call came wednesday in the wake of a bold offensive by leftist guerrillas who attacked strategic targets across the capital, including the residence of president alfredo cristiani, in a show of force before peace talks.    the statement distributed to news organizations was made in the name of a "commando of young officers."  it gave no names but said the group was formed secretly among officers fed up with corruption by a small group of military leaders.    if authentic, the statement would mark the first time since a 1979 military coup that a group of junior officers had broken ranks with el salvador's military leadership.    "today more than ever, all the officers who truly want to save our institution, must demand and exact profound changes and a general purge at all levels of the armed forces," the statement said.    the statement blamed a threatened loss of u.s. military aid on a few corrupt officers whom it held responsible for the "execrable" assassinations of six roman catholic priests during a rebel offensive in november.    el salvador is supposed to receive 315.4 million dollars in u.s. aid this year, 85 million dollars of it in military aid.  but the u.s. house of representatives has voted to cut military aid in half and u.s. secretary of state james baker has warned that aid to el salvador will depend on progress in the priests' case.    the priests, their housekeeper and her daughter were murdered in their residence november 16 in the midst of prolonged and bloody guerrilla offensive in the city.  nine members of the salvadoran armed forces have been charged in the killings but mr. cristiani has expressed doubts that they will be convicted.    "it is truly sad and infuriating for us that the loss of prestige of the armed forces has grown so much that internationally we are seen as the ones to blame for the situation our country is in," said the statement attributed to the young officers.    the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln), meanwhile, also said its attacks in san salvador early wednesday were to protest the lack of progress in prosecuting members of the military for the massacre of the priests.    but analysts said the renewed fighting appeared intended as a show of force ahead of u.n.-mediated peace (word indistinct) this month, which seek to end a decade-long civil war that has left more than 70,000 dead.    in the fighting early wednesday, at least seven government troops were killed and 18 were wounded, an army spokesman said.  there were no casualties in the attack on the presidential residence and mr. cristiani was not at home at the time, the spokesman said.    the rebels retreated to their stronghold around the san salvador volcano just north of the capital after the attacks in upper class neighborhoods.    the united states sharply condemned the attacks and called on the rebels to demonstrate they can work with the government of el salvador to end the war.    "we condemn the outrageous violence by the fmln," said state department spokesman richard boucher.  "the fmln has demonstrated that it can destroy the salvadoran economy and kill salvadoran citizens."

leftist guerrillas

strategic targets

the residence of president alfredo cristiani


Input: the young military officers who have circulated a 5-page letter outlining their views contend that the violation of human rights and the neglect in correcting wrongdoings committed by the u.s. advisers and embassy are the main problems keeping the country mired in war. the officers add that they do not trust the current u.s. ambassador, whom they accuse of betraying truth and justice in the country in connection with the latest developments.    the officers note the diplomat's position regarding the case of the jesuit priests; how he failed to denounce a colonel who accidentally discovered the culprits and how, lately, he has warned the high command about some information that was going to be made public by a u.s. network.    the letter, which was released during the last few hours and is dated 1 may, expresses the young army officers support for colonel sigifredo ochoa perez, after the defense ministry, with the blessing of several commanders, decided to take the current president of cel (lempa river hydroelectric executive committee) to task publicly.  in their letter, the officers state that they agree completely with the former military commander regarding which senior officers give orders to junior officers.    we are obedient and nonconfrontational and that is why we continue to obey orders from superiors, but this must stop when the violation of principles and rights are involved, says the call from the young officers to the president and high command.    the extensive document delivered to the media by the self-styled domingo monterrosa lives movement says that two of the officers it mentions were removed from their posts in the military order of 30 april.  the young officers provide no further details but make some allusions to missions conducted while they did their duties.    the document says that some of the senior officers who are obtaining money illegally must stop and mentions the names of former military officers who are now living and enjoying their wealth in exile.  the document says that the contradiction raised by the above is the luck of some gentlemen officers who, at the end of their service, live abroad and enjoy their positions without any question. the document asks how some former officers are able to live so well when we know they graduated from our military alma mater.    the case of the jesuit priests is also examined in their letter. they note that the identity of the culprits became known shortly after the murder, but some of the senior officers withheld important information from the president of the republic and armed forces commander in chief.  a few hours after the murder, many of us suspected what had happened.  we, the young officers, have the best sources of information and many of us did not think that the case would have any major impact because the activism of the priests with the farabundo marti national front (fmln) was well-known.  however, there was cause for concern almost immediately after the crime became known.  the priests' murder was described as irrational and senseless because open fighting against terrorism is one thing and the struggle against the ideologists is another.    the attorney general of the republic made up the story about the fmln hatching a plot to murder the san salvador bishops in an attempt to distract attention from the killing of the priests, the letter says.  the attorney general could not be reached for comment about this. as stated by the young officers, when the attorney general's idea was raised, it was pointed out that it would not be credible. this was treated as a childish and illogical way out.  the gross lie made up by the attorney general was never considered a practical option, the document says.    the self-styled domingo monterrosa lives movement has sent the letter to president alfredo cristiani, the assembly, and the armed forces high command, asking them to measure the consequences of the position assumed by the u.s. embassy and various sectors of the country regarding military aid.  the young officers have taken the name of the charismatic officer who died when his helicopter was attacked while flying over the area of cacaopera, in the northern part of the country's eastern region.    in their extensive document the young officers ask president cristini not to be deceived by reports from the high command members of la tandona (name given to 1966 graduates of captain gerardo barrios military academy).


Input: san salvador domestic service in spanish at 1808 gmt on 3 may begins to broadcast live a news conference with salvadoran president alfredo cristiani from the presidential house in san salvador.    cristiani begins by saying that the government is looking to put together a viable agenda for its upcoming meeting with the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) so that some headway can be made in the talks.  he adds: "from what we can foresee, we hope the direct meetings will begin in a week and a half, or somewhere around there.  that is when we think they could start....  in general terms, we do believe progress will be made and that we will advance quite rapidly."    in response to a question regarding a letter from an unnamed group of young military officers advocating a purge of the military and supporting criticisms made by former army colonel sigifredo ochoa perez, cristiani says: "i have never believed anonymous letters or notes.  the fact that it is anonymous casts some doubt on the intentions behind it or about the group that could be sending it. posing as young officers is easy to do.  this could have come from the fmln -- making an issue of all that they have been talking about -- or from any other group."    regarding the fmln communique on the rebels' recent military offensive, he states: "i read the communique and i honestly believe that it is one of the most ridiculous fmln communiques i have seen to date....  i feel that this was a way to seek notoriety through the news.  this could be one of the reasons.  the other reason could be that they are having problems among themselves....  some of them view the dialogue as something serious while others do not, and it could be that these problems are resulting in these irrational adventures by the fmln."    turning to recent u.s. government criticism charging slowness in the handling of the investigation and prosecution of those involved in the jesuit murder case, cristiani says: "as chief executive, i cannot speed up, slow down, or alter the judge's decisions.  in no democracy can the chief executive dictate orders to the judicial branch.  the same happens in the united states as in any other democratic country. i believe that as far as we have been able to see -- although there is much urgency in seeing this trial completed; there are great expectations -- that the judge is duty bound to continue with the judicial procedures stipulated by salvadoran law."  he points out that the prosecution of general noriega in the united states is also taking a long time.    regarding a reported fmln attack on his residence in san salvador yesterday, cristiani says: "i do not know who the person was who reported an attack on the presidential residence, either the official or the private one.  neither of them was attacked, though there could have been some information that such an attack was expected.  an fmln column was dispersed in areas close to the two residences."    questioned about the effects on the government of a possible cut in u.s. government aid to el salvador, cristiani responds:  "well, i think that first of all, the effects of a reduction or cut of aid would be twofold. first, i think it would be a negative signal for the fmln and for the objective of trying to find an end to the conflict through the dialogue process that has been started; and that a cut in aid might be analyzed by some of the members, or all the members of the fmln, as meaning a weakening of the government and its defense and that, therefore, their military victory is now closer.  and it would make it a lot more difficult to end the conflict in a short while through a political dialogue.  second, obviously the government has the responsibility to defend the institutions, the democratic institutions of the country, and will not standby with a weakened defense.  therefore, this means reallocating resources that might be used for other types of programs -- social programs, economic or political programs -- ...  for defense purposes."    returning the jesuits murder case, cristiani is asked if the military high command is being investigated.  he says:  "first of all i would say that the high command -- and this is just my own point of view -- was instrumental in making it possible to carry out the investigation.  the high command made it possible for the investigation to be within the armed forces, an investigation that has no precedent in the past with respect to investigating military units....  it would be very difficult to believe that by supporting the investigation and opening up the armed forces so that they can be investigated in this case, they would have done so if there were some involvement on their part."    further as available.

farabundo marti national liberation front

fmln column

fmln

presidential residence


Input: juan amadeo cabrera from la noticia.    (cabrera) mr. president, if the communique issued by the young military officers is true, if it is true that they are members of the armed forces, what is the outlook for the armed forces and for your government?    (cristiani) i believe some speculation would be required.  i believe that as an anonymous letter, it cannot be given the credit it deserves, if it was written by someone who is completely responsible. in this regard, i repeat that the armed forces have been willing to conduct a process of professionalizing and modernizing.  they are trying to improve their institution as much as possible.    (moderator) luisa melgar from teleprensa.    (melgar) mr. president, yesterday the fmln carried out different armed actions in different parts of the country.  a communique issued by the fmln general command justified the actions because of alleged human rights violations, repression, and lack of security for civilians.  how do you view these actions just when the talks are about to begin?    (cristiani) i read the communique and i honestly believe that it is one of the most ridiculous fmln communiques i have seen to date.  it is a justification that is not very justifiable, i would say.  i believe the events on 1 may in the morning can clearly be understood. all groups wishing to participate were able to march peacefully. their freedoms are not being repressed. i imagine you have all heard and seen what they said and did and there were no problems.  i feel that this was a way to seek notoriety through the news.  this could be one of the reasons.  the other reason could be that they are having problems among themselves.  we have information telling us that there are differences among the different groups.  some of them view the dialogue as something serious, while others do not, and it could be that these problems are resulting in these irrational adventures by the fmln.  i feel that at this stage of the dialogue process, their actions are completely unjustifiable.  that is not all.  they have even violated what they have called unilateral gestures made in the past.  this shows the lack of seriousness and sincerity in all of them, or some of them, concerning the objectives we are trying to achieve with the dialogue process.    (cristiani) guillermo penate from el diario de hoy.    (penate) there are some labor groups that want to be included in the delegation that will participate in the talks with the fmln. could this not be some sort of disadvantage for the official delegation, because the opposite groups could gain strength?    (cristiani) i think that is true.  some groups have asked to be included in the delegation.  i believe the participation of the different groups is stipulated in the geneva agreements.  we have already explained how the government can allow for the participation of political and social sectors of the country.  we are not going to change the government commission, which is comprised of government officials for the most part.  i believe that the participation of members of social organizations has already been explained in the past.    (moderator) raul beltran from radio cadena yskl.    (beltran) mr. president, over the past few hours we have learned about the official statement issued by the commanders of the various garrisons and the high command.  since you are the commander in chief of the armed forces, do you support the document that was published, which condemned the statements made by col. sigifredo ochoa perez?    (cristiani) concerning that situation, i have said that several people have made statements, not just one.  there has been public speculation as to what may have happened in the assassinations of the jesuit priests and the other two people and that is not right.  if someone has any information to contribute, and if that someone is really interested in the progress of justice in this country, he should go to the judge to give him the information.  he should not continue to speculate in public, because it confuses people and it obstructs the judicial process.    i would like to mention, for example, that not long ago a delegation of spanish legal experts visited the country and they were pleased to see how the 4th criminal judge was handling the judicial process, as opposed to other reports that have been released in the united states.  however, i believe that no one should speculate in public as to what may have happened.  if someone has information or evidence, he should go to the judge, otherwise there will be confusion.  in that regard, i believe that the armed forces commanders' rejection of col. ochoa's statements is just that.  in many of the statements they wrote -- i did not participate in drafting the statement -- they mentioned that they are willing to support and strengthen the judicial process, but they cannot come out in public with speculation because they would only confuse people.  (continued)

fmln


Input: however, the fmln idea that they have to show force here, or there, or somewhere is not logical.  the important point is that the salvadoran people want to live in peace and tranquility.  therefore, it makes no difference that they may have 1,000, 2,000, or 100.  that does not matter.  i think that, whether they have a high or a low morale or whatever, with just 100 radicals they could kill people and destroy sources of employment.  in sum, they cause panic and terror in some hamlets.  i believe that has to be stopped.  it is not a matter of who shows force and who does not. regardless of the demonstrations of force the fmln may carry out, we still believe that, in the long run, the military victory by the government forces and the government is possible, because they have a strong moral support.  the government has been elected by the people and has the support of the salvadoran people.  the people support the system and the government, no matter who is heading it, not just a particular individual.  however, that is not the point.  we do not want this conflict to last 10 years longer, with more bloodshed. therefore, we are searching for a political solution because we believe in it, not because it suits us because they are stronger or not stronger.    (moderator) james lohman.    (lohman) mr. president, with the reduction in the u.s. government's military aid, has your government considered the possibility of seeking military aid in other countries on this continent or from other parts of the world?  for example, we know that a country like israel has given military aid to central american countries.  have you considered that possibility?    (cristiani) i can only tell you that, yes, certainly, the government of the republic has the duty of defending the system and the salvadoran democratic institutions, and -- regardless of what may happen, and we hope that will not occur -- if that happens, we will always have to seek alternate resources for the defense of the country's democratic institutions.  a few days ago i listened to statements by some politicians and members of other sectors, who complained because i said: we have the responsibility of defending the democratic institutions, we have to find the resources, and there are other alternatives to get resources for the national defense.  those politicians said it would be disastrous to affect social programs to help the needy.  that is actually what those politicians should think about when they ask for a reduction in aid.  i believe that is something the government cannot neglect.  the government must defend the system from possible attacks -- through violence to reach power -- which has been termed by central american presidents and by many countries throughout the world as illegal.    (lohman) have you considered (words indistinct)    (cristiani) all i can tell you is that we are taking into consideration some alternatives.  however, we are not going to leave the country's democratic institutions defenseless.    (moderator) we will now have questions in english.  tom gibbs from the bbc.    (gibbs) what would be the effect of cutting u.s.  military aid?  and also it seems that the democrats in congress put as a high priority for the continuation of aid the (words indistinct) jesuits' case, and also the cleaning up of the officers corps of the army, or changes in the military. how inconvenient would it be to your government, or how (words indistinct) it would be to your government to be able to (words indistinct)?    (cristiani) well, i think that, first of all, the effect of the reduction or cut of aid would be twofold.  on the first hand, i think it would be a negative signal for the fmln and for the objective of trying to find an end to the conflict through the dialogue process that has been started, and that a cut in aid might be analyzed by some of the members, or all the members of the fmln, as meaning a weakening of the government and its defense and that, therefore, their military victory is now closer.  and it would make it a lot more difficult to end the conflict in a short while through a political dialogue.  secondly, obviously the government has the responsibility to defend the institutions, the democratic institutions of the country, and will not stand by with a weakened defense.  therefore, this means reallocating resources that might be used for other types of programs -- social programs, economic, or political programs that the government can have access to, and obviously to reallocate resources for defense purposes. thus, it would have a twofold impact if that was the case.    on the other hand, i think that the judicial process in the case of the jesuit priests is ongoing.  it will be difficult for me (words indistinct) to think that before it has ended, that there is prejudgement on what the results would be.  i think that the judge, as i said earlier, has received at least the visits of many people.  just recently a group of lawyers from spain came in and analyzed the case, and were very pleased with the way the judge was handling the case, according, obviously, to salvadoran law.  (continued)


Input: commander jorge melendez (jonas), a top salvadoran guerrilla leader, admitted on thursday to a change in the u.s. policy toward this country and said that the george bush administration now "favors" a negotiated political solution to the war.    melendez, who is a staff member of the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) in the eastern department of morazan, said on the clandestine station radio venceremos that the americans are making a foreign policy change.    "jonas" talked about a possible cut in u.s. military aid to the government of president alfredo cristiani, saying that "we can now say that this change announces the framework of his policy today."    "just as they imposed the war, today they are also imposing conditions that contribute to the search for a negotiated political solution," the guerrilla leader said.    a u.s. senate subcommittee voted for a cut in the u.s. military assistance to el salvador and linked another cut in the aid to the progress made in the negotiation process to end a war that has lasted a decade and left 72,000 people killed.    to deal with the cut in military aid, the government of alfredo cristiani said that the situation would force it to make budget cuts in other areas, such as health and education.    in this regard, "jonas" said that the government warnings are aimed at maintaining the military struggle at the expense of "severely punishing the people and all lower-class groups."    however, melendez insisted that "the military policy in el salvador is weakening...and new conditions are being opened."


Input: the military high command emphatically rejects the junior officer's statements, considered a type of gray propoganda, because no person or group of persons has claimed responsibility for them.  the statements are biased in favor of the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln).    on 10 january 1981 a series of similarly anonymous letters and statements were circulated.  the military intelligence learned that the letters were part of a strategy implemented by former captain francisco sandoval, along with other members of the salvadoran subversion.    in addition, something similar happened in november 1989, but this time it was done by a high-ranking member of the national union of salvadoran workers, who claimed that he had received a communique from junior officers on a number of irregularities that were reportedly occurring within the armed forces.    the fmln terrorist groups launched offensives on both occasions. according to their goals, the final task was to seize power by force and by all means, even if they had to sacrifice the lives of many salvadoran civilians and severely damage houses and the country's economic infrastructure.    the armed forces are aware of their high level of professionalism and their own institutional ethics and philosophy as demanded by the constitution of the republic and reiterate that their mission will always be to defend the nation's sovereignty and to protect each and every one of the salvadoran people's life and interests.    therefore, it is useless to try to undermine the armed forces' morale and to confuse and divide all the members comprising the armed forces through groundless communiques which are intended to create false expectations for the national and international public.


Input: i have another question.  a few moments ago, president cristiani termed the most ridiculous communique he had ever heard from the fmln the one in which they justified yesterday's military actions.  he termed them propaganda-oriented.  within the framework of the negotiations, how do you view this?    (ungo) in my opinion, the fmln communique has aspects that are interesting and others which i think are not valid.  the time and opportunity of that action is ambivalent.  i think it has negative effects, as well as positive effects for them.  there is always the famous vicious circle wherein if the fmln ceases to act militarily, it is bad for the fmln because it shows a sign of weakness.  if it acts militarily it is also bad, because it shows that it does not want peace.  in this sense, i think there is no doubt that it has exhibited a show of force, that its actions have been strictly propaganda-oriented or with propaganda objectives.  it does not cease to create difficult conditions that generate a negative reaction on the other's part, if they want to sit down and try to ease confrontations as much as possible and seek an agreement as much as possible.  i believe, as i told president cristiani on the telephone yesterday when we spoke of other things but touched on this topic, that i uphold the government's thesis.  we have always criticized the fact that when negative things occur, they are invoked to suspend a process which in our opinion should be continuous.  we have always upheld the continuity of the dialogue.  the government criticized the fmln when on two occasions it suspended the dialogue due to terrorist actions on the part of the government or security corps.  the dialogue and negotiation process has suffered as a result of this.  i believe that in this case the government should take its own medicine.  it should maintain the continuity of the process and not use as a pretext the fmln military actions to try to seek ways of conditioning or perturbing a process of dialogue and negotiation, which involves not only the government and the fmln, but the political parties and social forces as well.    (reporter) dr. ungo, in that sense the government had announced through president cristiani that the dialogue would be resumed on 3 may.  subsequently, the un secretary general's envoy announced that it would be the first part of may.  don't you think that too much time is being spent without being able to agree on summit meetings that will permit securing agreements?    (ungo) i have a very positive analysis of how the process is developing in this first phase, judging by the conduct on the part of the government and the fmln.  i think there has been a delay, but i think it is a delay that improves the possibilities and conditions. apparently the times were marked by haste and precipitation for the fmln to present a proposal.  also, there was a very short time for the government to prepare its response and hold a bilateral meeting later. at the same time, it left a very narrow margin of influence to the political parties and social organizations.    president cristiani himself convened the political parties to explain to them what the situation was and how he viewed the role of the parties.  the parties have their own concept of their role and have been working arduously and responsibly.  in two weeks they held four prolonged, high-level meetings, two per week.  we want to do the same thing with the fmln.  i believe that the period of two to three weeks to one month, since the geneva agreement was signed, has been positive.  if we had hurried things up, perhaps the possibility of achieving results would have been affected.  what happens is that all of this gives way to somewhat pessimistic evaluations, because the confidentiality was violated by president cristiani.  i have been told that these things are part of a private, confidential aide-memoire that was agreed to in geneva between the two top leaders of the fmln and the government delegation with un secretary general perez de cuellar's representative.  (continued)


Input: official sources have reported that a guatemalan cargo plane owned by the traslados company crashed this afternoon on top of several houses in northern guatemala city, causing an undetermined number of dead and wounded.    civil aeronautics personnel confirmed to acan - efe that the three crew members of the dc-6 were u.s. citizens who had been hired to fly the plane to miami.    sources from the municipal fire department said the plane destroyed 12 houses.  the number of dead and wounded are still unknown.    according to the initial reports, the accident occurred shortly after the plane took off from the la aurora international airport, and apparently was due to the loss of an engine.    fire department spokesman haroldo juarez said there have been explosions in the drainage system because of the gases that had accumulated from the fuel spilled by the plane.    according to the spokesman, the pilot tried to land on an empty lot but he was unable to do so and crashed in the housing area.    juarez said the exact number of dead and wounded is unknown but unofficially there are reports of 15 dead and more than 20 injured.


Input: civil aeronautics authorities have reported that four plane accidents have brought destruction and death to guatemala in less than 24 hours.    the most serious accident took place in a neighborhood just outside the capital when a cargo plane that had just taken off from the la aurora international airport crashed into a residential area destroying several homes and killing 17 people including children.    a second accident occurred when a small plane had to make an emergency landing in rabinal, in the northern part of the country.  in this accident the pilot was injured.    in a third accident, a plane that had maneuvered on the runway of the la aurora international airport turned over and crashed.  the plane was severely damaged and the pilot and members of the crew were injured.    in a fourth accident, a helicopter of the presidential staff had technical problems and was forced to make an emergency landing.    details of the last three accidents were not yet known.  these accidents have made this the worst day for guatemalan aviation in recent years.


Input: the mutual support group (gam) has reported finding 25 clandestine cemeteries in the country's western high plateau area, noting that proceedings required for an investigation into the cemeteries have begun.    according to the president of the human rights group, most of the cemeteries are in hamlets and communities located in the guatemalan high plateau, an area that suffered a great amount of violence during the period between 1979 and 1982.  the president said: "the people that are buried in these hidden cemeteries were relatives of some of the people who belong to our humanitarian organization."    gam president nineth de garcia added: "all the crimes were committed by men who hide in anonymity and are responsible for the kidnapping and disappearances in our country."    over the past few months, gam has intensified its search for clandestine cemeteries and has been successful: three cemeteries were found in el quiche, one in chimaltenango, one in sacatepequez, and one found in chinautla last year.    "our activists in the guatemalan high plateau area have reported several times to our headquarters that chupol'civil patrol guards have kidnapped their relatives, that two cemeteries exist in that community, and that other cemeteries are located in uspantan, el quiche, zacualpa, and the rest of the municipalities in this area," she said.    "there are more than 100 cemeteries that have already been reported to the el quiche 2d penal court and pending an investigation. however, this court has not issued the required exhumation orders for the investigations to continue; this means that they have deliberately shelved the charges we presented at the courthouse because they refuse to carry out the required legal procedures," said the gam president.    nineth de garcia stated: "the relatives of those who have disappeared, request that the kidnappers and murderers of our relatives be brought to trial and punished.  in a month's time, our foundation will have been working for six years and, up to now, president vinicio cerezo has refused to form a commission to investigate the cases of the 40,000 people who have disappeared."


Input: the police confirmed today that presidential candidate alberto fujimori escaped a dynamite attack perpetrated by a shining path cell on 6 may.  according to the police, the dynamite charge was detonated on the route followed by fujimori's motorcade in the district capital of san juan de lurigancho.    the attackers left fliers identifying themselves as members of the movement for the people's defense, a shining path front organization. dora vilchez, a 26-year-old woman, was injured in the attack.    fujimori, who will contend with writer mario vargas llosa in a runoff election during the first half of june, was only informed of the attack by his aides after the police had tightened their security around him.  the "change 90" leader minimized the attack and continued his scheduled activities.    the police said that a shining path group managed to infiltrate a crowd of demonstrators and set off the dynamite charge on the route followed by fujimori's motorcade, near a local market, on the eastern side of lima.    vilchez, who was seriously injured, was hospitalized.    the bomb squad unit (ude) defused another explosive device near the market.    the fliers disseminated by the terrorists urged the people not to vote in the runoff election.  one of the fliers said: "neither fujimori nor vargas llosa is the solution because they both represent the right wing.  long live the armed struggle.  pcp.sl."  expansion unknown

members of the movement for the people's defense

shining path cell

route followed by fujimori's motorcade in the district capital of san juan de lurigancho

fujimori's motorcade

local market, on the eastern side of lima

alberto fujimori

dora vilchez

dynamite charge

explosive device


Input: the salvadoran guerrillas warned today that the possible replacement of general humberto larios by colonel rene emilio ponce, current chief of staff of the armed forces, "will seriously affect the negotiation process" with the government, which will be resumed this coming 16 may in venezuela.    the farabundo marti national liberation front (fmln) released a communique here today on the change in the salvadoran military leadership as well as the possible retirement of deputy defense minister colonel orlando zepeda.    "these changes will seriously affect the concerted cease-fire process, because one cannot reach agreements based on democratization while impunity prevails in the army and it is not subjected to a thorough purge," the fmln added.    gen larios told newsmen yesterday about his possible replacement by col emilio ponce in the defense ministry is a change which he regarded as "natural."    "eventually there may be a change of that sort.  it is a natural and routine change," the defense minister said when asked about persistent rumors to this effect in that past few days in el salvador.    col ponce, a member of the 1966 graduation class known as "la tandona," currently has great influence among the armed forces officers. he has held the post of chief of staff since the middle of last year.    the fmln communique stated that ponce's removal from the post of chief of state "would break the chain of responsibility of the high command in the assassination of the jesuit priests."  the jesuit priests were assassinated on 16 november by alleged armed forces members, who were turned over to judiciary authorities.


Input: in chile, foreign minister enrique silva cimma has protested to israeli ambassador daniyel moqedi over his statements on the plo.  speaking at luncheon with the jewish community in the port city of valparaiso, moqedi called the chilean government naive for agreeing to receive an official from the plo. moqedi said chile had not understood what he called the real nature of this terrorist organization.    chile's foreign minister said the israeli ambassador had given assurances of his deep respect for the chilean government, and explained he may have used improper language because of his less than fluent spanish.  he said the issue was now resolved.  the plo official faruq qaddumi visited chile last week, and met with several government officials, including president patricio aylwin.


Input: first lady of the nation, mr. vice president, your excellencies of the diplomatic corps, members of the armed forces high command, generals, chiefs, officers, non-commissioned officers, troops, public security policemen, and administrative personnel, salvadoran people:    we have gathered here, united by a shared feeling of patriotism, to offer a tribute of admiration and appreciation to all of the members of our armed forces.  within the commemorative framework of soldiers day, from the very depth of our hearts, we first of all pay homage of undyding gratitude to our salvadoran brothers who, wearing the armed forces' uniform, have given their lives to defend our dear fatherland. with their generous blood they have fertilized the path of peace, democracy, and freedom for the salvadoran people.    we pay homage to the soldiers killed in combat while fulfilling the sacred mission of defending the rpublic's sovereignty and integrity. it is with emotion that we evoke those brothers who, stoically confronting danger and death, gave their lives so that our country would have a better future, and so that present and future generations could build a more human and solidary society.    we pay special tribute to one of those men who, in the full bloom of youth, has gone on to form part of our armed forces' glorious history, who gave his life for the salvadoran people.  i am referring to captain jose alfonso chavez garcia, a worthy example of devotion to service to the fatherland.  his memory will always be a source of inspiration to every salvadoran soldier who is fighting for our people's freedom and glory.  as of today, the special anti- terrorist commando, ceat, will bear capt chavez' name in just recognition of his professionalism and devotion to the fatherland's sacred values.    with these same feelings of admiration and affection, we greet the mothers, fathers, children, brothers, wives, and relatives of our soldiers, who in fulfilling their duties have written pages of fearlessness and courage, thereby endlessly prolonging their noble examples in our people's consciences.    at this soldiers day event, in my capacity as president of the republic and general commander of the armed forces, i strongly embrace all of the members of our armed institution.  (continued)


Input: a quake measuring four degrees on the richter scale rocked the salvadoran capital today at 1008 local (1608 gmt), but there were no reports of injuries or property damage.    a spokesman from the seismology department of el salvador said the epicenter was located some 115 km southeast of the salvadoran capital, in the pacific ocean, at a depth of 50 km.    the source told acan-efe that so far this month 78 tremors have been recorded in el salvador, but only today's quake was felt by the population.    the series of quakes is the result of the interaction between the "coco" and the "caribbean" plates, the spokesman added.  he said the movement was "normal."    in october 1986, an earthquake destroyed a large section of the salvadoran capital and nearly 1,000 people were killed.


Input: ecuadoran foreign affairs minister cordovez, madame cordovez, and four other ecuadoran officials arrived in llasa on the morning of 5 may.    at 1830 the same day, puquang, vice chairman of the tibet autonomous regional people's government, met with the ecuadoran visitors at the tibetan-style meeting room at the holiday inn in lhasa.  in a friendly atmosphere, vice chairman puquang briefed foreign minister cordovez on tibet's agriculture, animal husbandry, industry, energy, and communications; and especially the successes tibet has achieved in various fields under the leadership of the central people's government since tibet's democratic reform.    on behalf of the tibetan autonomous regional people's government, vice chairman puquang presented gifts to the visitors.  then, vice chairman puquang hosted a dinner in honor of the ecuadoran visitors.    making his welcoming speech, vice chairman puquang said: your excellency minister cordovez has visited china many times and you have contributed significantly to the development of friendly relations between china and ecuador and the peoples of the two countries.  your excellency's current visit to tibet will certainly enable you to understand china better.    vice chairman puquang stressed: tibet has always been china's sacred territory since the middle of the 13th century.  it is a fact acknowledged by the whole world that all previous central governments effectively exercised their sovereignty in tibet.    vice chairman puquang also said that, since the lifting the martial law order in lhasa, tibet's situation has been stable, its public order has been normal, its economy has been developing steadily, and the people has been living and working in peace and contentment.    making his extemporanteously speech at the dinner, foreign affairs minister cordovez said: visiting the tibetan autonomous region has been my dream for many years.  like tibet, ecuador is a country on a plateau.  when i set foot in beautiful lhasa, i had the feeling that i had returned to my hometown.    minister cordovez wholeheartedly wished tibet prosperity in all fields and the tibetan people happiness.


Input: defense minister general rafael humberto larios stated today that the officers who could serve as witnesses in the case of the six jesuit priests assassinated at the central american university are taking training courses abroad.  he denied the officers left for reasons other for the strictly military need of training.  if the judge so asks for it, they may return to give their statement on the jesuits' case, he said.  when asked about the loss of the registry recording the entry and departure of persons from the military academy, gen. larios said he was not aware of this.    (begin recording) (larios) the cadets are now out of the country.  this is in line with a program planned well in advance.  cadets of certain classes leave to conduct studies, chiefly in the united states.  this is normal, as it corresponds to a scheduled plan.  they will have to return at some point when they conclude their studies in the united states.  then we will have the time and the opportunity to clarify any aspect of this matter.    (reporter) could not the judge call them earlier?    (larios) if the judge deems their presence advisable, they may be called immediately.    (reporter) referring to the entry and departure registry of the day when the jesuits were killed, how will this situation end up?    (larios) so far, i cannot comment on the matter.  i am not aware of the situation.  we have to see what happened. (end recording)    gen. larios feels that the jesuits' case has had a great bearing on the conditions placed on the military aid the u.s. senate will approve.  the military chief regretted it is not up to the salvadoran army to say when the aid must be cut.  the u.s. lawmakers have their means and criteria to decide when to cut aid, he said referring to the decision by the u.s. government.  the u.s.  administration has said it will cut military aid by 50 percent if the salvadoran government does not try the persons guilty of murdering six jesuits and two others. the aid will be cut if the cristiani government does not try to obtain specific agreements in the negotiations with the guerrillas.    (begin recording) (larios) we all know what will happen regarding the military aid.  unfortunately, we must admit we cannot decide the terms under which we will receive that military aid.  they must do that.  they will decide when and by how much that aid will be cut.    (reporter) general, do you think that the 60 minutes program in which col.ochoa perez participated was influential in the decision to ask the the u.s. house of representatives to cut the aid?    (larios) i think that it has definitely been influential.  we must undoubtedly recognize this.  nevertheless, that is not all.  i believe that the situation existed even before the 60 minutes program was broadcast.  therefore, i believe that the problem existed regardless of what was said during the 60 minutes program, and we were (words indistinct).    (reporter) what were the issues which had already determined this? what could they be?    (larios) that is really nothing new.  the jesuits' case has been, let us say, the decisive factor for deciding one thing or another in the u.s. congress, senate, and administration about the military aid. that is basically the issue. (end recording)    gen. larios also talked about possible changes which might occur in the army leadership.  recent rumors indicate that he might leave his post as defense minister, and that changes might occur within the armed forces high command.  he said that he does not rule out the possibility that these changes may occur, but he termed them as routine.    referring to a u.s. television program which implied colonel orlando zepeda's participation in the jesuits' case, the defense minister said he does not believe this type of information because the deputy defense minister is a colleague who only handles administrative issues within the army.


Input: acting on information obtained during questioning of policemen involved in the local cocaine trade, brazilian police agents seized a lab in western mato grosso do sul state in early april.  in addition, broadcasts aired in the state capital of corumba denouncing the drug problem and police involvement have made a local radio station a target of bomb threats from narcotraffickers, according to reports in the brazilian press.  subsequently, president fernando collor de mello has launched an antidrug campaign.    on 7 april federal police of mato grosso do sul state raided a well-equipped cocaine refining laboratory on a ranch in aquidauana, the rio de janeiro daily o globo of 8 april reports.  the lab was the fifth uncovered in the state in the last 14 months.  agents seized 50 kilos of processed cocaine, one of the largest seizures in brazil this year, and more than 100 liters of ether and acetone.  twenty heavily armed traffickers were arrested.  with inadequate police strength and bordering both bolivia and paraguay, the state is considered one of the main routes for the drug rings that supply cocaine to brazil's principal urban centers, particularly rio and sao paulo.  the traffickers also have connections abroad.    the laboratory in aquidauana was discovered as a result of the recent arrest of eight civilian police detectives, two federal policemen, and four highway policemen involved in a narcotics ring, continues o globo.  during questioning, they provided information that led to the other members of the ring, including a bolivian chemist in aquidauana.  the ring was headed by a mato grosso do sul businessman and a politician who financed the trafficking activities and provided cover; neither man was identified by name in the report.  according to federal agents, the cocaine paste was brought from bolivia by fishermen and canoers hired on the brazilian- bolivian border, and was processed and distributed in aquidauana.    o globo terms the raid a "real clean-up" in the civilian, military, and federal police departments.  the first such action was taken in late 1989 when federal police arrested 22 policemen.  o globo of 2 april cites the arrest of six military policemen caught in the act of distributing cocaine in campo grande, mato grosso do sul state, adding that the ring included more than 20 military policemen.  the ringleader was oldiney freire, an attorney arrested in march 1989 and a close associate of rancher cambaralamaia de sousa.  prior to his arrest in june 1988, cambaralamaia controlled cocaine trafficking in a large portion of mato grosso using the cochabamba, bolivia route.  he also supplied 300 kilos of pure cocaine monthly to sao paulo, rio de janeiro, and espirito santo.    rio de janeiro daily jornal do brasil notes on 17 april that the federal police department (dpf) is investigating charges that federal police are involved in drug smuggling and trafficking in corumba and ladario.  trafficking in the region has increased steadily in recent years due to the proximity to bolivian towns included in the route used by international trafficking rings, according to the paper. acknowledging that there have been serious problems with the federal police in mato grosso do sul, dpf legal coordinator mario cassiano dutra said that in february alone, four investigations were opened into charges of police involvement in drug and arms trafficking and bribery, an additional 12 were currently in progress, and another five only needed documents in order to be concluded.    to combat the growing narcotics problem in the state capital of corumba, on 11 april local station radio clube de corumba launched an antidrug campaign.  it devoted an hour of its regular program "public debate" to an expose of drug distribution points in the city and the complicity of federal police, military police, and civilian police investigators with narcotraffickers.  according to o globo of 12 april, program moderator armando amorim anache identified 21 cocaine distribution points as well as policemen and the traffickers who supplied them in exchange for protection.    after the program, anache received four threatening phone calls, including a bomb threat against the building housing the radio station, o globo of 14 april reports.  he received widespread public support when he broadcast those threats. radio clube received letters alerting police to the use of children who pick up drugs from bolivian women at the railroad station.  a mothers' protest parade was planned, and 850 local businessmen resolved to close their doors for one day as a symbolic protest against the trafficking situation in corumba.  on 18 april, the station received six bomb threats from cocaine traffickers who also threatened to bomb its sister station radio independente de aquidauana, o globo of 19 april reports.    wearing a yellow t-shirt with the slogan "drugs: out of here," president fernando collor de mello launched an antidrug campaign, o estado de sao paulo of 29 april reported in a front-page photo with accompanying inside-page article.  collor then donated the t-shirt to the federal police for an auction to raise funds for equipment, particularly for monitoring the border areas.  the mothers of corumba are conducting that auction, in which the minimum bid will be 100,000 cruzeiros.  collor is seeking the participation of the entire society. he is not interested in just a health ministry sponsored program, o estado reports.


Input: the colombian supreme court today declared unconstitutional the registration of five presidential candidates for the upcoming 27 may elections.    the measure especially affects antonio navarro wolff, candidate of the former 19 april (m-19) guerrilla movement, who replaced carlos pizarro leon-gomez, who was assassinated last month while he was aboard a flight, as m-19 presidential candidate.    the supreme court, which has pronounced itself on the decrees and laws promulgated by the legislative and executive branches, declared unconstitutional a decree issued by the government of president virgilio barco vargas which eliminated the qualifications for persons to register as presidential canddidates. the decree was issued under the state of siege that has existed for the past six years.    the government decree was issued to favor pizarro leon-gomez, who entered the presidential race after a peace process whereby the m-19 demobilized and abandoned the armed struggle.    also affected are candidates guillermo aleman, popular singer and cumbia composer mario garena, jairo rodriguez leon, and henry farfan silva, who had already resigned, although none of them had any chance of winning.    according to the supreme court, the state of siege must only be considered when issuing decrees dealing with the restoring of public order, which does not contemplate presidential elections.    the colombian laws demand that a presidential candidate must be or has been a parliamentarian, university professor, ambassador, or attorney general, and has been a professional for at least five years.    nonetheless, the supreme court's decision is not retroactive and the candidacies will be withdrawn only if they are officially challenged.

carlos pizarro leon-gomez


Input: the peruvian embassy salutes the honorable foreign ministry and in reference to note no. a.j.122 from that ministry is pleased to announce that we have duly acknowledged note dpg 1794 of 30 april 1990 from the attorney general's office, through which this embassy has been informed that our refugee gonzalo gonzalez rivera is accused of being the mastermind of child marcos alberto rodriguez justines' murder according to cancio ciacci tason's statements.    in this regard, the peruvian embassy reiterates that, through note no.5-20-m/002 dated 8 january 1990, it notified the panamanian foreign ministry that diplomatic asylum had been granted to 12 persons who came to this mission's residence, including former defense forces major gonzalo gonzalez rivera, and requested that safe-conducts be granted for them to travel abroad.  we might stress that such granting of asylum and requesting safe-conducts, as was indicated in this embassy's note no.5-20-/m-027 dated 2 march 1990, was based on the qualification granted to this embassy as the state granting the asylum according to the convention on diplomatic asylum signed in caracas in march 1954.  therefore, the peruvian government cannot take into consideration any actions of which the refugee may be accused, or any legal situation that may prevail after the subject has been granted asylum.    however, and without going against what has been previously stated, the refugee gonzalo gonzalez is willing to render testimony before an authorized legal official so as to clarify his situation.  the peruvian embassy will allow that official to enter the premises of the embassy for this purpose.    at this time, the peruvian embassy, based on the clear dispositions of the caracas convention on diplomatic asylum -- the international agreement in effect between panama and peru -- reiterates once again the request for a safe-conduct for the aforementioned refugee.    the peruvian embassy avails itself of this opportunity to reaffirm its highest and most distinguished consideration to the honorable foreign ministry.    panama, 7 may 1990


Input: st. john's, antigua, may 13, cana -- british lawyer louis blom cooper was preparing to head back to london sunday after discussions here on a judicial inquiry into a 1989 arms shipment through antigua and barbuda. the queen's counsel (qc) arrived here for talks with governor general sir wilfred jacobs and attorney general forde on the illegal arms shipment that ended up in the hands of colombian drug dealers. the probe, said canaradio, will begin in two months.    in identifying the briton to head the investigation, the cabinet here described him as a respected jurist with experience in conducting commissions of enquiry. blom cooper conducted a commission of enquiry into arson, corruption, and other related matters in the turks and caicos islands in 1986.    israel says it sold the arms to the antigua government, but st. john's denies this. the israelis have implicated an antiguan minister, vere bird jr. in the scandal, but bird says he had no links with the arms.    meanwhile, israel on sunday called colombian diplomatic sanctions over the sales of israeli arms to drug traffickers unjustified and said it was working to end the row. after colombian police found hundreds of israeli-made guns on the farm of a dead drug baron, bogota said on friday it was revoking 1962 and 1966 agreements allowing israelis to visit without visas.    "we regret the colombian government decision, which we think is neither right nor justified. we will remain in contact with the colombian government in order to resolve the issue," an israeli foreign ministry spokesman told reuters.    bogota has also accused israeli and british mercenaries of helping drug traffickers train private armies blamed for killing civilians in northern colombia.    antigua and barbuda's finance minister john st. luce has met with and apprised the heads of the country's ten financial institutions of government's progress in setting up the judicial enquiry, a statement from the ministry of finance said.    "i'm aware that all bank managers need to keep their head offices and, or directors abreast of developments," st. luce was quoted as saying.    the minister asked the banks to "be objective and allow the judicial inquiry to determine what really transpired and to inform the country as to who are the persons involved." the statement said the bank managers "expressed appreciation for mr. st.  luce's frankness and the opportunity for discussion."


Input: ernesto buenano and jaime galarza, authors of the books planned crime and who killed roldos, are scheduled to testify on tuesday, 15 may, before the congress' multiparty commission that is investigating the death of former president jaime roldos aguilera.    ernesto buenano said that in tomorrow's meeting he will reveal the names of those involved in jaime roldos aguilera's death, and he will present the necessary documents.  he also requested that the commission meeting be held in public.    (begin recording) (buenano) we want to thank reporters like you because we have been struggling for eight years.  we have dedicated eight years to investigating president roldos' accident, and it was not until today that we were summoned to testify before the multiparty commission.    this struggle (words indistinct) is nothing but the results of the efforts exerted my many reporters like you, who have helped us so selflessly and who have not tried to withhold the information.  i believe that this deserves praise and i am grateful for this.    in regard to what we will say tomorrow, we will prove to the country that the so-called human failure (which reportedly caused the accident) is a lie.  second, we will prove how the cia acts on the international level; who its agents are in ecuador and their names; and what caused the presidential plane crash, which we have termed a homicide.  we will tell the country who the main political conspirator was against president roldos.  we will prove this with documents because we will not be talking about (words indistinct).  we will reveal what this political conspirator said before the president's death and after his assassination. (end recording)

jaime roldos aguilera


Input: at least six (as heard) bombs exploded in various places in the capital during the night. one individual was injured. the damages were different in each case.    one of the most serious incidents occurred in the area of the u.s. consulate, in front of forestal park and the purisima bridge.  here, unidentified individuals threw a bomb onto the diplomatic premises, injuring a guard named barroso, who was taken to the central hospital.    the series of bombings began when an unknown number of individuals threw a bomb into the defense ministry's parking lot, located off an alley between alameda and alonso valle streets. two cars were damaged but no one was injured.  other bombs exploded on bandera and alameda streets, and near an australian international transport firm on tarapaca and santa rosa streets. another bomb exploded on that corner a few weeks ago.    the other bombs damaged an israeli community office at serrano and tarapaca streets, a fruit exporting firm at eliodoro yanez and general salvo streets in providencia, and a mormon church at pedro de valdivia and ocuro streets.

unknown number of individuals

the diplomatic premises

the defense ministry's parking lot

two cars

australian international transport firm

israeli community office

fruit exporting firm

mormon church

barroso

bombs


Input: the peruvian police, and parts of the army, have received orders of "strict confinement to barracks" in view of the 17 may anniversary of the terrorist organization shining path.  the organization has announced it will celebrate its 10th anniversary with an increase in armed operations.    peruvian authorities have discovered that the group that rebelled on 17 may 1980 has devised "a celebrations plan" and that it intends to implement the plan as "a sign of victory" in the "struggle of movements," an ideology inspired in mao zedong's doctrine.    army personnel have been confined to barracks since the night of 12 may and have already participated on joint operations with the police to arrest 500 alleged terrorists.    in lima, 8,000 police agents and a special antiexplosives squad launched "a gigantic operation" of "blockades and saturation."    a police spokesman told efe that they had orders "to carefully comb the new urban areas and search for suspected criminals, arms, explosives, or subversive material."    according to the spokesman, the lima police department headed by general osvaldo diaz has orders "to watch roads entering the city, to install emergency check points in strategic locations, and to report on anything unusual."    according to official sources, the operation will continue until after the runoff election, which is expected to be held on 10 june.    the police have launched similar operations in regions where guerrilla activity is rampant such as ayacucho, puno, huancayo, and huancavelica in the peruvian central highlands.  these regions are all under states of emergency and under military control.    shining path, considered one of the most impenetrable and orthodox armed movements in latin america, began celebrating its anniversary in lima last week by burning 11 state transport company buses. the buses were attacked by hooded individuals thought to be shining path militants.    on 11 may a bomb destroyed a building owned by the family of the mayor of lima.  in another incident in lima today, police corporal oswaldo palomino, who served in ayacucho until a short time ago, was shot to death.    in ayacucho, where the the comunist party of peru -- "official" name of shining path -- was born and developed, two people were murdered, and various home-made bombs exploded in in the last 24 hours.    councilmen juan manuel garabito from piura, 1,100 km north of lima, has also been shot to death. authorities blamed shining path for these attacks.    observers of the peruvian guerrilla movement told efe that the growing tide of violence attibuted to shining path indicates that the radical, or "red" sector, of the rebel group has taken control of the organization.    according to the sources, two different factions within the organization clashed over the celebration of the group's anniversary: the younger and radical sectors favored purely military operations while the older sector, or "blacks," favored more political and historic activities.    shining path, which officially operates with approximately 5,000 armed men, has caused the death of 20,000 people, including 7,000 civilians, and it is responsible for $17 billion in direct damages to the country over its 10 year history.

hooded individuals thought to be shining path militants

shining path

state transport company buses

building owned by the family of the mayor of lima

juan manuel garabito

bomb

home-made bombs


Input: government sources announced today that three policemen from the guatemala police identification department were killed by guerrillas over the past few hours in different parts of the country.    police spokesmen said that policemen humberto diaz, a driver; edgar coronado, a photographer; and mario navarro, a technical sergeant, were ambushed last night by guerrillas at the san isidro farm, 99 km south of the capital.    the policemen were on the way back from investigating the burning of five buses by rebels last week and were presumably killed by guerrillas from the revolutionary organization of the people in arms (orpa).    meanwhile, amalio escobar monzon, 21, a member of the civil self-defense patrols (pac), was shot to death in san pablo, san marcos department, in the northwestern part of the country.    official sources said that yesterday armed men broke into monzon's residence and killed him.    in solola department, also in the northwestern part of the country, other insurgent groups occupied stretches of highway and demanded that travelers surrender their money and belongings.    these insurgent actions have taken place less than two weeks before the dialogue that will be held in spain between guerrilla delegates and the guatemalan political parties to agree on a possible cease-fire and to end 30 years of internal strife.    the guatemalan national revolutionary unity (urng), which includes the orpa and other insurgent movements, has announced that it will participate in the talks but in the meantime will continue its armed struggle.

rebels

armed men

insurgent groups

buses

amalio escobar monzon


Input: terrorist actions were reported tonight south of guatemala city, a few hours after a mass transit bus and several tires were burned in other parts of the city. two explosions took place in a vacant lot at approximately 2120 on 15th avenue and 6th street, zone 13.  according to persons who were nearby at that time, shooting was heard before the explosions. a few minutes later, devices, believed to be fragmentation grenades, went off.  the shock wave created by the blast shattered the windows of house number 729 and building 626, located in front of the vacant lot.  the explosion prompted the quick mobilization of firemen, policemen, and several army armored personnel carriers from la aurora military base.    several members of the special orange explosive squad (unidad naranja especial de lucha antiexplosivos) also arrived to defuse another device left in the area.  at first, it was reported that the home close to the site of the explosion belongedto newsman alvaro contreras velez.  we were not able to verify this report.  we just learned that a family by the name of diaz navarro lives there.  there were no fatalities, but damage to the buildings are reported.    newsman contreras velez, prensa libre editor and author of the "cacto" column, came to the area to observe the damage.  it was unofficially established that some government officials live in this sector. municipal firemen helped police authorities in combing the area after the explosions.    the rumor that a car bomb exploded on 7th avenue and 7th street, zone 9, circulated almost simultaneously.  later, it was learned that the explosion was caused by a booby trap.  the authorities are on alert and stepped up operations, a police spokesman said.    again at 2230 tonight, national police explosive experts discovered another device in the vacant lot where two other bombs had gone off earlier.  ten homes were damaged by one of the explosions, including the homes of deputy finances minister gustavo adolfo leiva and guatemala governor mario logorgon.  only material damage was caused. the area residents have been evacuated from the site.  another charge went off in front of the air force's main gate almost at the same time the first bomb went off.  air force officials closed hincapie avenue, from liberacion boulevard to santa fe.  the officers reported material damage and and an exchange of fire in the area nearby.  firemen and policemen and several army armored personnel carriers patrolling the city are maintaning security.

mass transit bus

tires

house number 729

building 626

car

buildings

homes

homes of deputy finances minister gustavo adolfo leiva and guatemala governor mario logorgon

alvaro contreras velez

diaz navarro

gustavo adolfo leiva

mario logorgon

devices, believed to be fragmentation grenades

device

booby trap


Input: when he began his job as guatemalan president after decades of military regimes that left behind 100,000 fatalities, christian democrat marco vinicio arevalo cerezo had promises for the future and things to his credit in the past. the things to his credit were four assassination attempts on him because of his attempts to restore democracy in his country, and his promises were to stop political violence, corruption, and mainly the activities of the extreme right-wing death squads.    cerezo has been in this post for five years.  new elections are to be held soon, and the activities of the death squads, supported by elements in the defense forces, have not stopped.  they killed hundreds of labor union leaders and leftists.    the visit to israel by guatemalan foreign minister ariel irias rivera provides an opportunity to understand what is happening in his country.  after all, no one at the foreign ministry has expressed an interest in it.    (slutzky) before you came here, you said that you intend to make a contribution here from your experience in bringing peace to central america.  what can the middle east learn from central america?    (rivera) you can learn that problems can be solved without violence, that international assistance and guarantees are important. it seems to us that the proposition to hold an international conference is the one that eventually will bring peace to your area. at the same time, we are aware of the large differences between the situation in our region, where all the peoples have the same origin, and yours, where national, community, and religious conflicts are intertwined.    (slutzky) it was said in jerusalem that you have not come here to purchase military equipment.  that sort of clarification does not usually precede a visit by a foreign minister to israel.    (rivera) it is possible that they wanted to clarify an issue that is self-evident for us.  with us, weapon deals are carried out by military personnel.    (slutzky) the israeli chapter of amnesty international wanted to present you with a petition signed by hundreds of israelis demanding that human rights' abuse in guatemala in the past several years be investigated.    (rivera) i have a deep respect for amnesty international, but we feel it is outdated to use tools from a dictatorial past on present regimes.  it is well known that cerezo's government has a policy that is different from its predecessors'.  nevertheless, there still are centers of right-wing power in our country; those groups fear the stabilization of democracy.    (slutzky) cerezo promised to investigate israeli involvement in guatemala, including arms and defense technology sales.  has anything been done in that respect?    (rivera) from what i know, israel sold weapons to guatemala at the full price when the u.s. boycott was in effect and our army needed military equipment to fight the guerrillas.  other than that, our decision is not to scratch the wounds of the past, but to worry about peace in the future.    (slutzky) cerezo's government appears to be one with good intentions, but without complete control over the army and those connected with the death squads.    (rivera) this is an incorrect image.  i would not say that it is easy to overcome all the power elements in a few years.  still, i can say that progress is being made in this field.  the army's command headed by general gramajo morales, the defense minister, greatly assisted the process of democratization.    (slutzky) are the elements that took part in the coups not connected to the extreme right-wing and the death squads which murdered hundreds of citizens in the past few years, under a democratic regime?    (rivera) it is very probable, but we must remember that these elements are a minority, after all.  the officers who were involved in the first coup were pardoned.  the officers who participated in the second coup were brought to trial.  i believe this indicates a positive development.    (slutzky) in your opinion, will cerezo be able to appear before the voters in a few months and prove that he has kept his promises?    (rivera) to a large extent, yes.  economic growth has begun; political and professional organizations allowed; political leaders are no longer systematically murdered as in the past; and there is no violent suppression of democratic expressions.  cerezo is trying to play the democratic game all the way.    (jerusalem domestic service in hebrew at 0400 gmt on 17 may 90 reports that "guatemala will set up a cultural center in jerusalem in the building where its chancery was located until the jerusalem law was passed.  however, because of its sensitive position in international forums, it will not be able to move the embassy back from tel aviv to the capital, guatemalan foreign minister ariel irias rivera told our correspondent gid'on remez.")


Input: the unholy union of illicit drug traffickers and political terrorists has become evident in the philippines as in other countries such as peru and colombia, military authorities said yesterday.    violence fueled by big drug profits is viewed as a major threat to a number of sovereign governments, they added.    last march, authorities in manila arrested two new people's army (npa) guerrillas reportedly from the alex boncayao brigade for trafficking in narcotics.    the arrests came after a four-month investigation of reports that the communist party of the philippines (cpp) was involved in drug trafficking as a means to shore up resources for buying firearms in view of declining donations from supporters in europe.    forty-four decks of shabu (methamphetamine) with a street value of p(peso)154,000 were found in the possession of the suspects.    in the same month, drug kingpin jose oyson, also known as don pepe, was killed while grappling with police as he was being taken to the national bureau of investigation (nbi) headquarters for questioning.    after his acquittal for the 1984 killing of an anti-drug crusading manila newspaper reporter, oyson allegedly established connections with major drug syndicate leaders in hong kong and taiwan.  he also had been under suspicion of financing right-wing revolts against president aquino.    the arrests of the two npa guerrillas provided the first hard evidence in the philippines of the unholy alliance of narcotics trafficking and terrorism that had already plagued a number of governments elsewhere.    authorities said they also showed that illicit drug profits can fuel revolutions from the right or the left with equal magnanimity and even simultaneously.    as a prime example, in colombia, powerful cocaine leaders who worked in close league with communist insurgents 10 or 15 years ago have turned against the insurgents as their staggering drug profits enabled them to buy up huge tracts of rural farm and ranch land and urban real estate in the 1980s (passage omitted)


Input: lima, 17 may (efe) -- sources close to the government today said that the "temporary withdrawal" from the struggle announced by the "shining path" peruvian maoist guerrilla group on its 10th anniversary is a "psychological war operation" initiated by the military.    civilian sources told efe that the communique that was released in ayacucho -- the cradle of the "shining path" -- announcing the group's temporary withdrawal from the armed struggle "is fictitious and was released by the armed forces to create an atmosphere of uncertainty in the ranks of the shining path" at a time when terrorist actions were expected to increase to mark the group's anniversary.    the sources said that the communique is aimed at confusing the shining path commandos, who are divided and have no clear communication among themselves or with their commanding levels. the sources added that the communique is aimed at delaying or aborting the armed actions that may have been planned for today and tomorrow.    the security forces have been on "red alert" in ayacucho today to prevent the shining path from celebrating its 10th anniversary with propaganda attacks recalling the beginning of the "people's war" on 17 june 1980, when the group attacked an electoral court office in an andean town.    the communique, which was released in suburban areas of ayacucho, announced that the peruvian communist party (pcp) -- which is the official name of the shining path -- has "temporarily" withdrawn from the armed struggle and will reorganize itself to return with "new impetus."    the authenticity of the communique was also called into question by ayacucho journalistic and university sources consulted by efe.  they noted that this is not the first time that communiques have been attributed to the shining path.    "we are temporarily withdrawing form the armed struggle, but we will continue the ideological fight and examine and evaluate the brilliant actions that we have carried out during the past decade to return once again, with more ideas and a determination that will permit a strategic balance under better circumstances," the communique states.    "it is time for us to say that the time for crime for the sake of crime is passed and that the cult of personality is also over," it adds. contrary to standard shining path practice, the note, which is signed by the "pcp-rank-and-file," does not mention the movement's top leader and founder abimael guzman, known by his supporters as "president gonzalo." specialists believe that this phrase is an attack against the more militarist sector of the shining path and against guzman, and that it seeks to foment division within the shining path.    some specialists in the activities of the group have said that there is a confrontation between the more moderate sector, known as the "black" wing, and the "red" orthodox, militarist wing. other observers have said that there are only "fissures" concerning operational methods. (passage omitted)


Input: the presumed subversive group m-20 (20 december movement) threatened on 15 may to enter the peruvian embassy and free the refugees there.  it also called several media claiming that it had kidnapped a high school student and placed bombs in several government offices.    in view of the telephone calls, the government, through foreign minister julio linares, has announced that it has strengthened police protection around the peruvian embassy in this capital.    former panama defense forces officers gonzalo gonzalez and heraclides sucre, close collaborators of overthrown general manuel noriega, are refugees at the peruvian embassy.  gonzalez is allegedly involved in the murder of several military officers who tried unsuccessfully to overthrow noriega on 3 october 1989.  foreign minister linares revealed that the peruvian embassy had received two telephone calls from individuals who identified themselves as m-20 members and threatened to enter the embassy grounds to free the refugees there.    security around the embassy was reinforced, although it had been strengthened earlier after several officers of the former regime sought asylum there.    meanwhile, the director of the "instituto america" high school denied the m-20's claim that it was holding, and threatened to kill, a student from that school.    also on 15 may, panamanian and american policemen had to order the evacuation of workers from several government offices in the banking area of via espana due to reported bomb threats from the m- 20.    the m-20 allegedly is a group of supporters of overthrown general noriega who claim responsibility for the march terrorist attack on the "my place" bar.  one u.s. soldier was killed and 20 panamanians were wounded in the attack.    foreign minister linares said that he could not confirm the existence of the m-20.    a number of days ago the southern command offered a $10,000 reward to any person who provides information leading to the arrest of the man who threw the bomb into the aforementioned bar.    it was also learned that the judicial technical police are trying to trace the telephone calls, which have scared the citizens somewhat.    major gonzalo gonzalez, who has taken refuge at the peruvian embassy, was also accused of being the mastermind behind the death of young melquiades rodriguez justine, a grandson of former colonel justine.


Input: guatemalan president vinicio cerezo said today in caracas that he "firmly believes" that a salvadoran right-wing political group participated in the assassination in guatemala of salvadoran social democratic leader hector oqueli and his companion gilda flores in late january.    in a news conference today at the ayacucho room of the miraflores (presidential) palace, cerezo said he will deliver a detailed report on this case to venezuelan president carlos andres perez, to socialist international, and to the salvadoran government, to which he requested all the necessary assistance to identify and detain the assassins.    referring to the talks being held with the venezuelan president to renegotiate in concept the oil debt that guatemala has with venezuela -- within the framework of the san jose agreement -- cerezo said president perez had accepted the (restructuring) proposal.  however, the terms are still being discussed.    the guatemalan government requested 20 years to pay the debt, a six-year grace period, and a four-year (grace period) on the interest. this proposal will be presented to the mexican government (which along with venezuela participates in the oil supply agreement).  the proposal will then be presented at the upcoming central american presidents summit.    during the news conference with venezuelan and foreign journalists, the guatemalan president, who arrived on 17 may in venezuela, said that to consolidate peace in central america, it is essential to have gradual demilitarization, with the resulting reduction in weapons and local armies, "which should be left unsuited to carry out external attacks."    concerning nicaragua, cerezo said the professionalization and ideological independence of the army is fundamental to reaffirming its democracy.

salvadoran right-wing political group

hector oqueli

gilda flores


Input: the bus strike in guatemala city continued for the fourth day today.  last night, there were new disturbances and terrorist bombs were set off.    although the situation has caused great discontent among the 1.2 million people of the capital, the government has for the time being rejected the municipality's request to place the bus services under military control.    the bus owners are asking for a 100-percent increase in the 20 centavo ($.05) fare, arguing that inflation has increased the price of gasoline and the bus maintenance costs.  however, the municipality has not authorized the increase, fearing a generalized protest by bus passengers.

terrorist bombs