From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Guatemala: Enfoprensa 12/15 - 12/21
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 00:51:39 GMT

/** reg.guatemala: 133.0 **/
** Topic: Enfoprensa #508. English **
** Written  9:17 pm  Dec 24, 1992 by web:enfopre in cdp:reg.guatemala **
	ENFOPRENSA WEEKLY NEWS REPORT #508  15-21/12/1992

				NEGOTIATION.
	SUCCESSFUL TOUR BY INSURGENCY COMMANDER.
  News arrived on December the 16th that commander Gaspar
  Ilom (Rodrigo Asturias) who is a member of the High
  Command of the Guatemala National Revolutionary Unity
  -URNG-, had ended his five days visit to New York, where
  he had been invited by the General Secretary of the United
  Nations (UN).  The URNG informed by the way of a press
  released, that the rebel leader had had conversations with
  high level international leaders, high ranking officials
  "who are involved in Central America" and with embassadors
  from countries "concerned of the situation of Guatemala",
  including the President of the Security Council. The text
  indicates that Asturias explained to this people the place
  at which the Guatemalan negotiation process is hung up and
  the reasons for its stalling.  The document affirms that
  now the Salvadorean conflict has been ended, the situation
  of conflict in Guatemala "appears to be the principal
  obstacle to peace and development in Central America".
  Because of the continued violation of Human Rights "the
  Guatemalan situation will become a destabilizing factor
  for the whole region".  The guerrilla command whilst
  ratifying its willingness to achieve a political solution
  both to "the armed conflict" and to "the social, political
  and economic conditions which produced the conflict",
  rejects the "irresponsible statements" made by the
  Guatemalan Government, claiming that the guerrillas are
  preparing a military offensive "with arms that belonged to
  the salvadorean insurgency". The rebel organization
  reiterates their willingness to continue negotiations,
  "with the active participation of the UN" and ends by
  urging the Guatemalan Government to show "a similar
  willingness".

	QUEZADA T. SAYS NEW NEGOTIATING MEETING
	COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.

  The mediator of the negotiation process between the
  Guatemalan Government and the National Revolutionary Unity
  -URNG- made a statement on December 17th rejecting "any
  possibility that there will be another meeting this year"
  between negotiating parties.  As it is the end of the year
  he said that to have another meetings which would "result
  in returning to Guatemala empty handed and without signing
  the agreement on Human Rights would be COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
  He talked about the possibility of having another meeting
  at the beginning of 1993. This will depend on a closening
  of viewpoints on the issues between the parties, as at
  this time they both have their arguments and will have to
  come to an understanding.  For his part, Miguel Angel
  Sandoval, a member of the URNG's Political Diplomatic
  Commission accused the Guatemalan Army of starting "an
  armed campaign with the obvious aim of blocking the
  negotiations and also of trying to reach a military
  solution to the armed conflict". This contradicts the
  words of president Jorge Serrano, who during the ceremony
  which put an end to the SALVADOREAN conflict, said "the
  route of  negotiation is the only path leading to the
  achievement of peace". Sandoval said that this
  declarations in El Salvador were considered to be positive
  by the insurgency.  Sandoval also said that a judicial
  system which works to maintain "absolute impunity in
  favour of the army and security forces" justifies the
  necessity of international verification procedures, given
  that failing this "the practice of impunity will continue
  without hope of improvements, sensitive to the needs of
  the population".

			POLITICS.
	NOBEL PRIZE PLACED IN 'GREAT TEMPLE'.

  On December the 18th in Mexico City the indigenous Quiche
  Nobel Prize winner "temporarily" deposited her medal and
  diploma at the museum of the Great Temple. Menchu said the
  award will be kept in Mexico because "currently in my
  country conditions of peace and security do not exist".
  "The prize will be kept in Mexico in recognition of the
  active role of Mexican government in seeking peace in
  Guatemala. As a permanent vigil for peace in my country
  the award will remain on Aztec soil" Menchu added.
  Mexican President Salinas de Gortari was invited to attend
  the ceremony as a "honorary witness" and he thanked
  Rigoberta for the invitation. He reminded her that in his
  country Mexico "we love and respect you, because you have
  never betrayed your people and you have always worked for
  and with the people".  Some messages were also read at the
  ceremony including one from Gro Harlem Brundland who
  invited the Guatemalan Government and the URNG "to carry
  on with the negotiations in 1993".  After the ceremony
  Mexican president hosted a banquet for Rigoberta Menchu
  which was attended by members of the Mexican Government,
  Diplomatic staff and Guatemalan exiles. In the afternoon
  Rigoberta attended a "popular gathering" (verbena
  popular)organized by Mexican popular organizations who
  asked her "to remain strong and never abandon us".
	MENCHU ARRIVES IN GUATEMALA.
  On December the 19th Rigoberta Menchu arrived at the
  Guatemalan International Airport "La Aurora". She was
  warmly welcomed by a massive gathering of people. She was
  received by two representatives of the Guatemalan
  Government, embassadors from the European Community,
  Mexico and other countries, and representatives of several
  Guatemalan popular and indigenous organizations.  Menchu's
  flight to Guatemala was facilitated by Mexican President
  Salinas de Gortari. On her arrival in Guatemala Rigoberta
  regretted "coming to the end of yet another year of war in
  my country" and pointed to "the need for the dialogue to
  be unfrozen" from is stall. She highlighted the work done
  by Monsenor Rodolfo Quezada Toruno and the National
  Commission of Reconciliation "in their efforts towards
  achieving peace".  Menchu denounced the harrasment that
  her family has been subjected to in the western province
  of Quiche. Nonetheless she assured of her determination
  "to keep on working for Human Rights: because above all I
  am a woman who has never had anything good in my hands and
  now that I have something I would like to share it".
  Meanwhile, the secretary for Political Affairs Juan Daniel
  Aleman, invited Rigoberta Menchu to meet next week with
  president Jorge Serrano.
	CONFLICT BETWEEN MUNICIPAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENTS.
  Faced with the general problem generated by the Coalition
  of Transport Owners order to stop transport services the
  Serrano Elias Government accused the municipal government
  of Guatemala City of being responsible for the "crisis in
  the service". The conflict between the two levels of
  government was criticized by different social sectors
  because it has become evident that the conflict between
  the National Party of Advance  -PAN- and the Movement for
  Solidarity Action -MAS- ignores the real consequences of
  the paralization of transport for the population.  Leaders
  of diverse Labour and Popular sectors went to the National
  Palace and asked the Government to "postpone the subsidy
  cuts to the city government and to prioritize public
  transport service until a definite solution to the
  conflict is found".  When they arrived to the Palace to
  talk to the President they rejected any possible increase
  in transport fares, stating that, it is the government
  obligation "to guarantee benefits for public services".
  They also p[roposed the creation of a multisectorial
  commission to find solutions to the problem. This
  commission would be made up "the government, the municipal
  government, transport owners, labour and popular
  sectors".

				HUMAN RIGHTS.
	HUMAN RIGHTS KEY FOR NEGOTIATIONS TO PROGRESS: RUOG

  On December the 19th it was learned that Frank la Rue
  member of the United Representation of the Guatemalan
  Opposition -RUOG- had declared that the issue of Human
  Rights is so important that "it will have to be solved
  soon with greater flexibility and with real willingness to
  respect Human Rights".  La Rue affirmed that in Guatemala
  Human Rights continue to be violated. He said that
  discussions concerning numbers on this issue are not
  important and stressed the importance of an observation of
  "the standards of behavior of the authorities". At this
  moment it is evident that "Human Rights continue to be
  shamefully and significantly violated" he said. This is
  according to the number of denunciations we have receiver
  from the country".  Another RUOG member Rolando Castillo
  Montalvo declared that currently in his opinion
  "conditions do not exist" for a return to Guatemala as he
  would like to, precisely because the disrespect for Human
  Rights. "I think a return to Guatemala is not feasible" he
  added.  Raul Molina also a member of RUOG declared that
  instead of thinking of returning what  is needed now is
  "to contribute to the efforts of civilian society to solve
  the country's problems and to help the peace process so go
  ahead". He added his demand for the full respect for Human
  Rights stating that this means "no  more assassinations,
  no more kidnappings, no more torture, and no more
  persecution" for what people think or express. This will
  require a real exercising of democracy where tolerance
  would determine the right for everyone to participate and
  act.

	JOURNALIST WOUNDED BY SECURITY FORCES.

  On December the 21st it was learned that Alfredo Torres, a
  journalist and teacher at the school of communications of
  the University of San Carlos was wounded when he was shot
  by soldiers of the Presidential High Command. He was
  driving his car with a family member when the attack took
  place. He was taken to a hospital and his condition was
  said to be serious.  Torres is a member of the Guatemalan
  Association of Journalists -APG-. In the days following
  the attack members of Torres' family denounced that "two
  people who were apparently members of security forces"
  came to their houses to indicate that they should not
  denounce the case. They did not heed this order because
  Alfredo Torres is a University teacher and an active
  journalist.  Meanwhile on the afternoon of December 21st
  two large bombs exploded at the APG offices. This adds to
  the very large number of attacks against the press in this
  Central American country.

	JOURNALISTS ASK FOR INTERVENTION OF  HUMAN RIGHTS
	OMBUDSMAN

  On December the 15th it was learned that the National
  Council for the Defense of Journalists Rights,
  representing the Guatemalan press, asked Human Rights
  Ombudsman Ramiro de Leon Carpio to intervene and denounce
  the "harrasment, intimidator actions and attacks on the
  press" carried out by President Serrano Elias. They also
  asked him to call on Ombuds offices in other offices to
  declare themselves in solidarity with the Guatemalan
  media. They demanded a speeding up of the investigation
  into the case of Omar Cano, a reported from the daily
  newspaper Siglo XXI. Cano recently suffered an attack.  De
  Leon Carpio offered to carry out a study of recent events
  including the recent accusations made by President Serrano
  Elias against the press in which he accused the press of
  being "subversive and destabilizing". He also offered to
  investigate attacks on the journalists Francisco Olmedo
  and Hector Garcia, and the forced exiles Nestor Hernandez
  and Axel Cocon.  Marta Altolaguirre and Oscar Granados
  presidents of the Guatemalan Congress of Journalists and
  the Guatemala Association of Journalists respectively
  declared that the President "does not want peace" as
  evidenced by the 'huge elephant feet' which are trying to
  crush journalists. with this it is not even possible to
  think about a democratic system". They added that "in
  addition Serrano is trying to pit the press against the
  army" according to his speech on Guatemalan Air Force Day
  where clear threats against the press were made.  Some
  parliamentarians made statements in the same vain.
  Montepeque Contreras declared that in confronting "a lot
  of social sectors" President Serrano is acting as an "
  omnipotent person determinedly against the free expression
  of thoughts". Hector Luna Troccolly declared that Serrano
  Elias had made a mistake by starting to attack the
  National Press "after attacking other sectors".

	INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION DENOUNCES PEASANT
	SITUATION.

  News arrived on December the 15th that the International
  Centre for Labour Solidarity -CISO- had issued a document
  where they denounced "the inhuman and bad health
  conditions" which have been suffered during the last five
  months by 450 peasant in Cajola, Quetzaltenango.  CISO
  declared that the conditions this people are subjected to
  "constitutes one of the gravest violations of Human
  Rights" as the group which consist of "old people, adults,
  children and pregnant women are living without roofs over
  their heads, without water, without sanitary services and
  they depend on charity to eat".  At the same time the
  international organization warned of a possible spread of
  diseases such as; cholera, gastroenteritis and
  tuberculosis as a consequence of this living conditions.
  CISO demanded that the Serrano Elias Government provide
  this people with "shelter, water, food, health care and
  education" and resolve at the same time "with urgency" the
  peasants claim for the return of their lands which have
  been in process since 1989. Meanwhile, CISO assured that
  "they will give information about this case to the
  Canadian Government and the UN".  On the other hand the
  Constitutional Court confirmed a sentence in its fourth
  stage of appeals against the director of the National
  Police Jose Maria Melendez for violations of "the right of
  movement, meeting, and peaceful protest" of more than two
  hundred peasants in Cajola on July the 21st. At the same
  time, the highest judicial organization denied an appeal
  by Melendez denying that elements  of the 'antiriot squad'
  attacked the peasants "with arms an chemical gases" and
  detained them "for some time".

			POPULAR MOVEMENT.
	PROTEST AGAINST APPROVAL OF BILL.

  News arrived on the 15th of December of a protest against
  bill 72-92 which was approved by the Congress of the
  Republic at the beginning of December. Dozens of
  protesters, including members of student organizations,
  unionists and people from various communities in the
  Northern province of Peten carried out a march in the
  Provincial Capital ending in the Central Square.  During
  the protest people expressed their tiredness at seeing
  "smugglers with the support of authorities using the
  natural resources of the provinces as if they were their
  own". They also noted that "the powerful groups make
  themselves richer every time".  With respect to the bill
  protesters signaled that it serves only "to protect the
  smuggles logging activities" given that to date many
  people before the bill have cut "all the trees they want
  to". They accused members of parliament Guillermo Pellezer
  Robles, Eduardo Mendez Pinelo and Eduardo Tager Matus for
  lending themselves to "the dirty game of wood smuggling in
  approving the bill".


				CHURCH.
	THREATS AGAINST JOURNALISTS SIGN OF WEAKNESS;
	ARCHBISHOP.

  The Archbishop of Guatemala Monsenor Prospero Penados del
  Barrio stated on December the 16th that anonymous threats
  against journalists "are no more than a bribery campaign
  and reflect the weakness of those who make them".  The
  archbishop claimed that some of these threats are painful
  "especially when people have family" and he cited the case
  of journalist Axel Cocon who had to leave the country
  "because of the threats he received". In addition the
  archbishop noted that the attitude of those who harass the
  press shows "lack of nobility and those who do this are
  irresponsible people who throw stones and then hide their
  hands".  For their part the Council for the Defense of
  Journalists Rights announced that they will ask the
  Archbishop for the support of the Catholic Church
  "considering that blatant threats continue from official
  sectors". At the same time they exposed "the accusations
  made by the President against them".

	PARTICIPATION OF PROTESTANT SECTORS INCREASES.

  According to Jose David Son Vice-president of the
  Congregation of Evangelical Churches of Guatemala -CIEDEG-
  "we are the voice of protestants in the national problems
  and in the peace process. If we do not do this there will
  be a void".  According to a report on religion in
  Guatemala by a US journalist Trish O'Kane, which was
  published in report #299 of the Regional Centre for
  Religious Information - CRIE- in Mexico, "progressive
  protestants" have to face the great majority of
  evangelical congregations" which belong to the ultra
  conservative Evangelical Alliance. The Evangelical
  Alliance promotes values in the 'spiritualist line' the report says.
  O'Kane emphasizes that currently 35% of the Guatemalan population "now
  belongs to evangelical churches or to sects". The percentage has 
  increased astronomically during the last decade owing to "the 
  counterinsurgency campaigns developed by the United States in Central 
  America to fight against the guerrilla movements".
  In response to the proliferation of these groups and sects
  CIEDEG was formed in 1987 "to join together protestants
  worried about the problems of the country". Their main
  objective "is to be a platform for progressive protestant
  thinking" distinct from Government positions according to
  David Son who was interviewed by O'Kane.  Miguel Palacios
  who is also a leader of CIEDEG and a force behind the
  movement 'Journeys for Life and Peace" which began in 1990
  as an initiative of the Catholic Church and some
  Protestants, affirmed that currently the different
  churches are coordinating "the return of refugees and
  their role in the dialogue between the Government and the
  URNG". In this they are working in the creation of the
  coalition of civil organizations "which is pressuring the
  Government to participate in the process of pacification".
  In this way protestants "have won a space for themselves
  in society" because of this they have also being an object
  of harrasment concludes David Son.


			SOCIAL SITUATION.
	TRANSPORT

  News arrived on December the 18th that owners of urban
  transport in the Guatemalan Capital had ordered the
  suspension of services owing to the government
  announcement that they would remove transport subsidies.
  They are demanding a return of subsidies.  The action
  adopted by bus owners affected thousands of people in the
  city and produced several transit accidents.  The Human
  Rights Ombudsman, Ramiro de Leon Carpio, stated that the
  suspension of transport "could be the spark which causes
  the biggest social explosion in history in Guatemala" as
  both Government and Municipal authorities seem to regard
  the problem "as if were a foot-ball match".  For their
  part the Guatemalan Municipality sent a memo to various
  government offices asking them to work together to find a
  solution to the problem of the transport stoppage. In the
  memo they informed of their decision to intervene with
  "legal sanctions against bus owners for suspending the
  service". They also ask for a government decree allowing
  the military to take over services.  The measures adopted
  by the municipality were questioned by bus drivers who
  stated that the major "instead of finding peaceful
  solutions is using force and omnipotence". They indicated
  that in this conflict they are the worse affected owing to
  the low salaries they are paid, and they took advantage of
  the situation to ask for a salary increase.

			COUNTERINSURGENCY
		PAC MEMBERS IMPOSE CURFEW.

  Residents of the rural area in the east of Quiche province
  denounced on December the 15th that members of the Civil
  Defense Patrols -PAC- continue to impose a curfew in
  different villages.  The villagers revealed that the
  curfew begins at 1800hrs, and ends at 0600 in the morning.
  They consider this to be a flagrant violation of their
  rights to "free movement, given that we are supposed to be
  living under a democratic government".  The residents of
  the area urged the relevant authorities "to reconsider
  this measure" which is affecting them and to work for "the
  benefit of honorable hard-working people.(END).

Enfoprensa is a non-profit, independent Guatemalan news
agency based in Mexico city. The news is brought to Web in
English by Enfoprensa Canada.  For more information or (very
welcome) donations you can contact Enfoprensa Canada at
455-810 West Broadway, Vancouver B.C. V5Z 4C9 Canada. Or
contact us via Web. Please feel free to reproduce any of
this information citing Enfoprensa as the source. See you
next week!
** End of text from cdp:reg.guatemala **

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