From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Proceso 542: News Briefs
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 07:04:34 GMT

/** reg.elsalvador: 147.0 **/
** Topic: Proceso 542: News Briefs **
** Written  4:21 am  Dec 13, 1992 by cidai@huracan.cr in cdp:reg.elsalvador **
From: cidai@huracan.cr (Centro de Informacion Documentacion y Apoyo a la Invest. - UCAJSC)
Subject: Proceso 542: News Briefs

Center for Information, Documentation and Research Support (CIDAI)
Central American University (UCA)
San Salvador, El Salvador
 
PROCESO 542
December 9, 1992
 
NEWS BRIEFS:
 
SUIT:  Generals Rene Emilio Ponce and Juan Orlando Zepeda, Minister
and Vice-Minister of Defense, respectively, appeared before the
Attorney General on December 3 to request legal proceedings against
the leaderships of the National Union of Salvadoran Workers (UNTS)
and the non-governmental Human Rights Commission (CDHES), on the
basis of allegedly unfounded public declarations. In paid
advertisements, the two organizations charged the generals with
responsibility in numerous human rights violations. The officers
claimed that the charges made by the victims are part of a national
and international conspiracy, which includes the authors of a
recent broadcast heard on Radio Nacional in Spain [accusing the two
generals of participating in the decision to murder the Jesuits in
1989]. Responding to the suit on December 8, members of the UNTS
and CDHES gave the Attorney General's Office a list of victims,
types of violations, place of occurrence and the names of those
directly responsible for the violations. The response consisted of
168 files compiled by the CDHES. The defendants also said that "the
testimonies and incidents contained in these lists establish the
indirect responsibility of the two generals [autoria mediata, under
Salvadoran law, is also punishable], since the violations were
committed by soldiers under their different commands during the
course of the war, even though the two may not have participated
directly in the incidents.
 
HOLIDAY:  On December 3, the Legislative Assembly declared December
15 a holiday, as it represents the conclusion of the peace accords.
However, the legislators were unable to agree on a name to
commemorate the date.
 
AMENDMENTS:  On December 3, the Legislative Assembly accepted,
without debate, the changes made by President Cristiani to the Land
Transfer Law. Cristiani asked the Assembly to add that "the Land
Transfer Program will benefit former combatants of the Armed Forces
and the FMLN," which was not explicitly stated in the law. He also
said that Article 5, governing evictions in cases of land takeovers
after March 14, "will not affect the benefits due to the former
combatants of the Armed Forces and the FMLN as part of the Land
Transfer Program." Article 2, as amended, will read as following:
"According to the program, a maximum of 25,000 persons occupying
lands registered in the inventory will be benefitted." Article 3
includes respect for the rights of the legitimate landowners.
 
ELECTORAL CODE:  On December 7, COPAZ sent the Legislative Assembly
a draft bill for a new Electoral Code. PDC deputy Gerardo
LeChevalier, rotating Secretary of COPAZ, said that the new code
contains 370 articles and has as its goal increasing electoral
participation. He explained that the code includes Pluralist
Councils in the 14 departmental seats. It also regulates polling
places in order to avoid excessive identification procedures at the
polling booths. It also establishes residential voting, which means
that voters have the option of voting in the polling place nearest
their homes, and a change in polling place requires notification of
that intent to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
 
PEACE PROCESS:  On December 5, the Third Commission of the U.N.
General Assembly called on the Salvadoran government to strengthen
the Public Defender's Office for Human Rights. It also passed a
resolution requesting further development of the National Civilian
Police along the lines of the peace accords, and to carry out
reforms in the judicial system. The resolution also urges the
government and the FMLN to "put into practice the recommendations
of the Ad Hoc Commission, of... ONUSAL and, at the appropriate
moment, of the Truth Commission." In general, the resolution called
upon U.N. members to help "consolidate peace in El Salvador, by
supporting full compliance with the peace accords and generously
financing their execution and that of the National Reconstruction
Plan."
 
MOVEMENT:  On December 4, the Movement for the Defense of the Land
(MDT) was created, made up of sectors involved in carrying out the
peace accords with regard to the land transfer process. "The MDT
regards itself as the best representative of the interests of
former combatants, residents of former conflict zones, and
campesino organizations in El Salvador," said Mario Mijango, a
representative of the FMLN's National Army for Democracy, one of
the MDT's founding organizations. The MDT will include a national
leadership, regional leaderships and zone committees. The campesino
organizations in the MDT include FENACOA, FECORACEN, CONFRAS, CCS
and FECORAPCEN.
 
LABOR CODE:  Labor Minister Gonzalez Dubon announced that a draft
Labor Code drawn up by the government has been presented to the
Forum for Economic and Social Consensus-Building, and that next
week it will be sent to the legislature for debate, study and
passage. He explained that this modern piece of legislation
proposed to the labor and business sectors reflects international
labor norms, derived from International Labor Organization
treaties, as well as constitutional norms governing labor
organization. The innovations in this code include payment for
voluntary retirement or duly regulated universal compensation, and
the right of agricultural workers to form unions. In terms of
collective bargaining rights, the draft code proposes more
streamlined procedures for collective bargaining and legal strikes,
as well as speedy rulings in labor disputes.
 
TEACHERS' UNION:  From December 2-4, the teachers' union ANDES held
a General Assembly to elect a new leadership for the 1992-92
period. The Assembly passed reforms to enhance internal democracy,
and agreed on new action guidelines for the postwar period.
Professor Felix Orellana was elected as the union's new Secretary
General. The Assembly was held in a climate of semi-public
discussions around the need to update the union's lines of action.
One of the strongest critics was former Secretary General Jorge
Morales, who earlier accused the leadership of a confrontational
and overly politicized style, saying this was responsible for the
disintegration of the Salvadoran Teachers' Front and the weakening
of the union.
 
U.S. AID:  ARENA deputy Reynaldo Quintanilla, president of the
Legislative Assembly's technical commission, reported that USAID
has increased its economic aid by 6 million colones for the
Assembly's development programs in 1993. The deputy added that
USAID support for the Assembly in 1992 amounted to 4.5 million
colones, and that the agency would continue supporting legislative
projects next year.
 
TAX REVENUES:  The Treasury Ministry reported that tax revenues for
the first two months of the Value-Added Tax (VAT) were higher than
expected. According to a government spokesperson, 155 million
colones were collected in September, which is more than the former
stamp tax usually produced in a month (145-148 million colones). He
added that 188 million colones were expected for October, and when
the system becomes consolidated the government can expect revenues
of about 200 million colones per month. The spokesperson noted that
the additional revenues generated by the VAT will help alleviate
the fiscal deficit.
 

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