From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Guatemala: Cerigua Briefs MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 1992
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 22:47:01 GMT

/** reg.guatemala: 129.0 **/
** Topic: Cerigua Weekly Briefs **
** Written 11:43 pm  Apr  6, 1992 by cerisea in cdp:reg.guatemala **

WEEKLY BRIEFS, MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 1992

Cakchiquels Defend Ancestral Lands

On March 31 riot squads evicted 1,000 Cakchiquel indigenous
people from the El Jaibal plantation on the shore of Lake
Atitlan in Solola.  The Cakchiquels, of San Jorge La Laguna,
say the land historically belongs to them but government
authorities took it from their ancestors through deceit and
eviction over the last three hundred years.  More than 200
club-toting police sprayed children and adults with tear gas
and destroyed makeshift cardboard dwellings erected on the
lands, according to the Committee for Campesino Unity (CUC).

In defiance the Cakchiquels returned to the lands and rebuilt
the huts.  They say they will die defending them if
necessary.  Prensa Libre reports nine nearby villages have
voiced support for the Cakchiquel defense of their ancestral
lands.  Residents of these villages say the problem is not
unique to the Cakchiquels; throughout the whole province of
Solola there are similar situations.  Cakchiquels have said
if riot squads return, there could be a massacre.

At press time the CUC reports riot squads did return to El
Jaibal April 4 and violently evicted the Cakchiquels.  The
report says approximately 50 Cakchiquel people were taken
away and some may have been killed.  Joint police-army units
fired weapons, used tear gas and beat several campesinos,
according to the report.  CUC says soldiers prevented medical
personnel from entering the area.

Largest Display of Catholic Faith Seen in Guatemala

Two hundred thousand Guatemalans converged in front of the
Metropolitan Cathedral March 29 for the opening of the first
synod since the arrival of Spanish priests five centuries
ago.  The entire Catholic hierarchy - from the Pope's envoy
to bible study groups - will take stock of the Church in
Guatemala to determine the course of its future social
mission.  Vatican envoy Juan Bautista Morandini read Pope
John Paul II's message calling on Catholics to answer the
challenge presented by the protestant sects and new religious
groups that have sown confusion amidst the Catholic faithful.
Metropolitan Archbishop Prospero Penados stressed the need
for church unity and said attendees will together design the
new pastoral message.  Penados said the aim of the Catholic
faith is to "make the kingdom of God felt in our social
reality."  One hundred fifty priests officiated as thousands
of people attended a mass that overflowed Guatemala City's
Plaza Mayor.

The Presidential Palace overlooks this plaza. President JorgeSerrano is a former pastor of the fundamentalist Elim Church.
He now attends the Shadai Church, whose congregation is
mainly fundamentalist businessmen.  During the event Sunday,
the military Channel 5 television broadcast a sermon by
pastor Alberto Wizell of the Elim Church.  El Grafico
columnist Carlos Rafael Soto criticized the army for
attacking and insulting the Catholic Church.  The economic
and social situation is bad enough, he said, without the
government's emphasizing religious differences.

Arson Suspected in Catholic Church Fire

Just days after a massive display of support for the Catholic
church (see above story), fire gutted the interior of the
Santa Clara church in downtown Guatemala City.  The fire
apparently was set at the main altar early on April 1.
Antique paintings and statues more than three centuries old
were completely destroyed, according to chaplain Jose Elias,
who called the fire an act of violence.  Damages were
estimated at US $200,000.  Metropolitan Archbishop Prospero
Penados has demanded that authorities determine the cause of
the fire and whether foul play was involved.

Sister Dianna: "They Have Failed to Silence or Destroy me"

It's even more important now for Sister Dianna Ortiz to go to
Guatemala than it was before, according to her attorneys Paul
Soreff and Shawn Roberts.  Guatemalan prosecutor Fernando
Linares Beltranena has neither met with nor interviewed
Dianna and has launched a disinformation campaign in the
Guatemalan press, the lawyers said in a statement released on
the eve of her arrival in the country.  Linares has also
failed to seriously pursue evidence that members of the
Guatemalan government were involved in her surveillance,
abduction and abuse.  Officials claimed she staged her own
abduction and "self-inflicted" 111 cigarette burns on her
body.

Ortiz says she is going back to Guatemala to show  her
captors, in her words, that "they have failed to silence or
destroy me."  She is hopeful that pursuing her case will help
to dent the impunity enjoyed not only by those that ordered
and carried out the crimes against her, but also those in the
government who have blocked the investigation.  While in
Guatemala, Sister Dianna will stay at the home of US
ambassador Thomas Stroock and have embassy protection.  She
did not arrive on March 29 as previously announced, but is
expected to arrive on April 4.

Peace Conciliator: Negotiations Suspended

National Reconciliation Commission President Rodolfo Quezada
stated on March 31 that talks between the government, the
army and the insurgency have been suspended and are in astate of crisis.  "I can't talk about the nature of the
crisis because I don't want to ruin it for us all," he said.
"Neither can I say when the talks will begin again, but it's
best I don't say anything...I'll talk to the press later."

Outside Pressure Puts Peace Process at Risk

Pressure on the parties in the Guatemalan conflict to find a
political solution make finding one less likely, in the view
of Social Democrat Jose Luis Chea.  Peace cannot be imposed
on negotiators as it was in El Salvador, he says.  Lasting
peace must be the product of both sides' political conviction
and will.  Agreements signed to please outsiders only place
the process itself at risk.  The negotiators aim for truly
lasting peace through verifiable short and long term accords.
An end to the war is urgently needed, says Chea, a former
ambassador to the United Nations under the previous
government.  But sensationalist statements that create the
false hope that peace is near must be avoided.

Government Rejects URNG Human Rights Proposals

Last week the insurgent commanders criticized the government
for the stalemate in the peace talks.  They cited its refusal
to discuss URNG proposals including the dismantling of the
civil patrols (PAC).  Government  negotiator Manuel Conde
responded that the government will not accept such a proposal
despite United Nations expert Christian Tomuschat's report
saying the PACs have become an "institutionalized element of
uncontrollable violence" and should be "abolished
immediately."

The creation of a Justice and Truth Commission is also out of
the question, said Conde, and so is the rebel command's
request for a meeting with civilian sectors.  Conde called
the URNG's demand for civilian participation in the talks a
radical position and blamed the rebels for the "extremely
difficult" situation negotiators currently face.

Conde said the government is rethinking the role of United
Nations observer Francesc Vendrell in the negotiations.  He
questioned the role the UN has played in drawing up proposals
to break the impasse.  The URNG, however, has expressed its
complete support for Vendrell's "active participation."

All Sides Demand Say in Peace Talks

Several groups are demanding a part in peace negotiations.
They called for a meeting with the insurgency and demanded an
end to what they see as the secrecy surrounding the process.
In a public statement, signers commemorated the spirit of the
March 30, 1990 Oslo Accord which brought together diverse
sectors to discuss a solution to national problems.
Representatives said the Oslo agreement opened the door forparticipation of all sectors in defining the country's
future.  Signers to the statement include members of the
academic community, human rights, religious and grassroots
organizations, labor unions, political parties and private
enterprise.

Mayans Demand Part in Dialogue

Representatives of eleven indigenous organizations are asking
to  participate in the peace talks when identity and rights
of the Mayan people are addressed.  Among the organizations
are Communities in Resistance (CPR) of the Sierra, the Ixcan
Emergency Committee, the National Council of the Displaced
(CONDEG), the Mayan Coordinating Council "Mayawil Q'ij,"
Christian Action and the Mayan Presbyterian Brotherhood,
among others.  Mayans demanded an equal number of delegates
to those representing the government and insurgents.  Talks
have reached an impasse on the human rights issue and no date
has been set for discussion of indigenous issues.

Peace Prize Nominee Rigoberta Menchu to Tour US

Inspired by the work of Rigoberta Menchu who has brought
Guatemala's situation to light, committees have organized
events in different parts of the world to build support for
Menchu in her nomination for the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize.
Eight European countries, Australia, Mexico and Costa Rica
have organizations working on behalf of the peace prize
candidate who has turned the eyes of the international
community toward Guatemala's hidden tragedy.  Former winner
Adolfo Perez Esquivel of Argentina nominated Menchu in
December 1991 and has also encouraged the formation of a
support committee in his home country.  Menchu will tour the
United States April 23 to May 7 making presentations in San
Francisco, Houston, New York, Washington, DC and other
cities.

Guatemalan Women Have a Women's Agenda

Guatemalan women participating in the Central American
Women's Gathering in Nicaragua March 23 - 27 told the daily
Siglo XXI how a women's movement is developing in patriarchal
Guatemalan society.  "Before we participated in the social
struggle anonymously.  We organized as support contingents
for other movements.  Now we are developing autonomously with
our own demands, which we feel have been subordinated."  The
women say they are working in the areas of health, education
and politics.

The patriarchal system is intrinsically violent and this is
clear in the violence carried out against women, say
Guatemalan feminists.  "What is culturally taught and learned
about what a woman is and the role she must play are
significant factors sustaining the patriarchal system andviolence toward women...Even women themselves say we provoke
our own rape or the violence against us, because we shouldn't
wear a mini-skirt...Violence is part of an ideology and these
attitudes are its manifestations."  The day political leader
Dinora Perez was assassinated in April 29, 1991, Guatemalan
women formed a network against violence toward women.  Now
they are working to expand it.

Shell Plans to Drill for Oil Near Rio Dulce

Shell Oil Company wants to drill for oil in Lake Izabal,
putting at risk one of the most beautiful and ecologically
fragile areas of Guatemala, according to the governor of the
province, Miriam Vasquez.  Shell said the proper authorities
have been notified.  Radio Guatemala Flash called the
announcement arrogant.  Governor Vasquez says the government
has taken no action to stop Shell since it was notified of
the plans.  If Shell drills in Lake Izabal, it will mean the
destruction of an area running from Rio Dulce to Amatique Bay
in the Caribbean Sea.

Travel Advisory for US Tourists in Guatemala

The United States government has broadened its 1989 travel
advisory which cautioned tourists to beware in specific
vacations spots in Guatemala.  Beginning April 1, the
advisory warns travelers against the risks posed by political
violence and crime in all the provinces.  The new advisory
will remain in effect until October.  Travel advisories to
tourists going to Guatemala have also been issued by Germany,
Switzerland, Italy, France and the United Kingdom.
*****************

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