From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: FMLN: The accords
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 00:00:27 GMT

/** reg.elsalvador: 121.0 **/
** Topic: VENCEREMOS! **
** Written  9:10 pm  Sep 30, 1992 by gn:zenzontle in cdp:reg.elsalvador **
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                    FMLN-ARENA Peace accords:
                   OCTOBER 31, A SACRED DATE?

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    The Chapultepec accords signed on January 16, set the 31
October as a deadline; on that date the cease-fire ends and both
the FMLN and ARENA should have fully complied with the agreements.
Mr Iqbal Riza, head of the United Stated mission in El Salvador
called the 31 October "a sacred date"; we would like to be able to
say the same.     

The accords:  the continuation of the ARENA war by other means 
==============================================================

     From the start of the peace process, the ARENA government has
done all it can to achieve one objective: the destruction of the
FMLN military and political structure without, at the same time,
complying with the accords. With the alliance of some sectors in
the United Nations and the US Congress, they tried to make the FMLN
unilaterally to comply with the accords; it was -they said- an
agreement with the United Nations, not with the ARENA government. 
   
     That tactic failed. In the meantime, the government made
taunts such as simply changing the Security forces's name and
uniforms, delayed the legalisation of the FMLN as a political
party, etc. They also tried to demoralise the FMLN army; the
concentration sites were not provided with running water, food and
toilets. The reconverted fighters were also denied the land and
facilities promised. The majority of the first 20% reconverted,
therefore, preferred to come back to the original concentration
sites. On the other hand, while they complied with the Law of the
Protection of the Consumer, they put the IVA; that is not only a
new heavy tax, but they also increased the price of the transport,
several goods, tc.
     We recognised that some weapons that our fighters had put
into the containers were neither in good conditions nor did they
coincide with the original inventories; but what can we expect from
the combatants other than lack of confidence in the government? For
the FMLN leadership that is something difficult to control. That is
the reason  why we asked the United Nations to take a more
assertive role in monitoring the process. Instead of, the
hardliners are now trying to revitalise the argument that we need
to comply unilaterally.   
     The Human Rights violations, on the other hands, were
increasing as the government's instances of non-compliancies were
accumulating to the number of 46; Amnesty International made an
appeal to stop the killings of trade unionists. But the bodies that
have appeared with the typical signs of death squads assassinations
were also from other sectors, unknown people and even members of
the Army and Security forces. We suspect that an internal purge
within the Army is going on to get rid of possible informers, since
the Ad-hoc commission had been investigating the Army officers, and
the Truth Commission looking into human rights violations.    
     ONUSAL (the United Nations body monitoring compliance with the
agreements) first of all, failed to aid and then actually managed
to reinforce the government's propaganda; when the human rights
abuses were worsening, they published an out of date report
claiming that the situation had improved. There had already been
public reports criticizing ONUSAL behaviour, but these were easily
disqualified as "individual" positions. 
On September 2, however, an important US body, AMERICAS WATCH,
issued a strong critique of ONUSAL. Trying not to damage relations
with the government, in effect, ONUSAL was trying to make
compatible diplomacy with Human Rights observations as initially
had been claimed by some of its "individual" critics.

A rescheduling, not an amendment of the accords
===============================================

     On August Mr. Marrack Goulding, United Nations Deputy General
Secretary made an urgent trip to El Salvador, symptom of the
seriousness of the situation. We have to take into account that, at
the same time, the war in the former Yugoslavia was also at a
critical point. The compliance with the accords was rescheduled,
but without one single modification of the original agreements; the
31 October was kept as a deadline, pending a United Nations
evaluation on the 16 September. Mr. Goulding visit put the process
on tracks again. The public administration of the conflict zones
was put into the hands of the United Nations. The majors 
living in exile will be allowed to come back, but they have to
respect the community organisations; the ceiling of 245 Hectares
(600 acres) for the possession of the land was reinforced; the
process of organisation of the Civil Police was restarted, and so
on.  Few weeks later, nevertheless, the government said it did not
want another "Agrarian Reform" giving lands to our fighters; that
is to open the doors to a new crisis. 

     We are totally confident that the peace process can be
accomplished, and we are committed to do whatever we can to make it
a reality. But the hardliners have to understand that our
commitment is to participate as a legal organisation and as part of
the Civil Police. There is also a commitment to purge the Army of
the human rights violators; and the government has to comply. We
did not wage a 12 years civil war against the "Low Intensity War"
to commit suicide. We never committed ourselves neither to send our
combatants to starvation or to disband. Our organisation and the
strengthening of the Salvadorean civil society is the only
guarantee to bring Democracy to our country.

*************************

This the editorial of "Venceremos!" (October 1992), the bimonthly
newsletter published by the FMLN Representation in the UK. To
subscribe, send eight sterling pounds to:

ELSSOC
C/o THE RED ROSE CLUB,
129 Seven Sisters Road
London N7 7QG,
United Kingdom
Tel: (071) 272 45 80
Fax: (071) 272 54 76

** End of text from cdp:reg.elsalvador **

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