From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Proceso 532: News Briefs
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 21:12:09 GMT

/** reg.elsalvador: 127.0 **/
** Topic: Proceso 532: News Briefs **
** Written 11:46 am  Oct 15, 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 532: News Briefs

Center for Information, Documentation and Research Support (CIDAI)
Central American University (UCA)
San Salvador, El Salvador
 
PROCESO 532
September 30, 1992
 
NEWS BRIEFS:
 
MILITARY:  On September 24, the Defense Commission of the
Legislative Assembly passed a bill specifying that the Armed Forces
was not connected with any public security functions or territorial
control. According to the president of the commission, Carlos Rene
Calderon (PCN), the nation's Territorial Service is to be
abolished, and doubts about the existence of Departmental Commands
have been laid to rest. The bill, as passed, reads: "With the
objective of leaving no doubts whatsoever about the new regime of
the Armed Forces reserves, it is necessary to interpret Art. 9 of
the Armed Forces Military Service and Reserve Law in such a way
that the new Armed Forces reserve regime will be removed from any
function of Public Security or Population and Territorial Control.
As a consequence, the Territorial Service is suppressed."
 
RATIFICATION:  On September 24, the Legislative Assembly
unanimously ratified a donation from the United States, by way of
AID, for 1,369,500,000 colones (approx. $160 million) to be used
for reconstruction programs. The Assembly's president, Roberto
Angulo, explained that foreign donations and loans require
ratification by two-thirds of the Assembly, and the funds had been
frozen since the Christian Democrats had been refusing to lend
their votes.
 
INAUGURATION:  On September 28, the presidents of Honduras and El
Salvador, Rafael Callejas and Alfredo Cristiani, respectively,
formally inaugurated the Binational Commission charged with
implementing the recent World Court border ruling. Each president
had previously created a national commission. In his speech,
Cristiani said: "We want this joint Commission, which is being
inaugurated today after both Mr. Callejas and myself have sworn in
our respective commissions, to represent the depth of the concern
shared by our two governments for our Honduran and Salvadoran
compatriots. Through the Commission, we hope to lend them the
support they need to continue developing their communities and
making progress in the territories which now clearly and definitely
belong to both Honduras and El Salvador."
 
VISITS:  From September 28-30, the U.N. Secretary General Adjunct
for Peacekeeping Operations, Marrack Goulding, as well as the U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, Bernard
Aronson, arrived in El Salvador for consultations about the peace
process. On his arrival at the airport, Goulding explained that his
presence was due to a request from the U.N. Secretary General,
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, to take up the "difficult problem of the
land, but with the good faith of both sides we can make the
progress necessary for complying with the accords." Both officials
were scheduled to hold meetings with members of the government, the
FMLN, COPAZ and ONUSAL.
 
DENUNCIATION:  Representatives of the Party of National
Conciliation (PCN) denounced the death of the mayor of San Rafael
Oriente (San Miguel), Wilber Alexander Jimenez, who was pursued by
unknown persons as he returned from the city of Usulutan with
40,000 colones in cash. According to PCN deputy Rafael Machuca, the
crime could upset the peace process, since Jimenez, along with
another 13 mayors from the party, had been threatened by members of
the FMLN. Machuca asked President Cristiani to order an exhaustive
investigation in order to find those responsible, stressing that
"these actions will not change our party's position in this
process."
 
STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT:  Planning Minister Mirna Lievano de Marques
reported that representatives of the government recently appeared
before the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to
reiterate its decision to continue with its structural adjustment
programs. She also mentioned that, despite the nation's economic
difficulties, the economy showed sustained growth in 1991 for the
second consecutive year, with the hopes that 1992 will show 4%
growth and inflation will be held at around 10%.
 
FREE TRADE:  The ministers of the Economy of Guatemala, Honduras
and El Salvador, the so-called "Northern Triangle" of Central
America, have formed a bloc to negotiate free trade and investment
agreements with Mexico. The Salvadoran Minister of the Economy,
Arturo Zablah, said that the doors are open for Costa Rica and
Nicaragua to join this bloc, adding that the private sector will
participate actively in negotiations with Mexico, both as advisors
and as participants in the different working groups formed to draw
up the technical documents upon which the treaty will be based.
 
CENSUS:  The V Population Census and IV Housing Census, to be
carried out from September 27 to October 1 (urban areas) and from
September 27 to October 6 (rural areas), was inaugurated by the
Minister of the Economy, Arturo Zablah. The official stressed the
importance of the census in that it provides a means to ascertain
the most urgent social needs of the population, such as schools and
hospitals. He added that the information collected will not be
published as such, and that only total figures will be
disseminated, in other words, the number of residents of each
administrative district (hamlet, village, town, etc.). Officials of
the Census and Statistics Bureau reported that this year's census
[the first population census in 21 years] will cost 30 million
colones ($3.5 million) and involves a total of 12,600 census-
takers.
 
INDUSTRIAL RECONVERSION:  On September 17, the Salvadoran
Association of Industrialists (ASI) presented its program of
industrial reconversion, aimed at modernizing the sector. The
project includes financial support, the search for new markets, the
creation of an Institute of Technology, infrastructural
improvements, training, and a consulting office staffed by experts
in finances, marketing and computers, which will help businesses
throughout the country. The program has received support from the
ministries of the Economy and Planning, AID, and 7.2 million
colones ($837,000) raised among ASI members. The chief objective of
the program is to raise industrial efficiency and competitiveness
to the levels necessary for El Salvador to begin participating
effectively in the new free market systems as soon as possible.
 
AGREEMENT:  The ministers of the Economy of Central America and the
president of the Venezuelan Institute of Foreign Trade signed a set
of protocols modifying existing trade agreements between the two
parties. The protocols set forth a consolidated list of products
exported by Central American countries which can enter Venezuela
duty-free. The list will be incorporated into the framework
agreement on trade and investment which will soon be signed between
the two. Some 43% of the 312 products contained in the list are
produced in El Salvador, and another 58 Salvadoran products
received preferential tariffs.
 
LOANS:  The Central Reserve Bank reported that 339 million colones
($39.4 million) in loans were awarded to small and micro-businesses
during the first seven months of the year. Commercial banks
accounted for a total of 4,974 loans, 63% more than during the same
period in 1991, and the amounts loaned this year totaled 149% more
than the previous period. Official credit institutions awarded
55,515 loans, for a total of 152 million colones ($17.7 million),
representing 37% more loans and 28% more funds awarded than during
the same period in 1991.
 

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