From: hrcoord@igc.org (Human Rights Coordinator)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Subject: IPS: El Salvador - Lack of Aid
Date: 23 Jul 92 14:12:00 GMT
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1473800096:000:2967
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Jul 23 07:12:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: IPS: El Salvador - Lack of Aid

/* Written 12:13 am  Jul 23, 1992 by newsdesk in
cdp:ips.englibrary */ Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all
rights reserved.  Permission to re- print within 7 days of
original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: EL SALVADOR: LACK OF AID PROJECTS COULD DELAY
DEMOBILISATION

san salvador, july 20 (ips) -- the farabundo marti national
liberation front (fmln) warned monday that the demobilisation of a
second group of former combatants, scheduled later this month,
might be delayed due to the lack of assistance programmes.

according to fmln spokesman mauricio chavez, many of the 1,681
combatants who surrendered their weapons on june 30 have returned
to fmln camps because there are insufficient projects to assist
their reinsertion into civilian life.

chavez, who coordinates the guerilla re-insertion programme, said
the ''fmln will not demobilise one more member until support
projects are in place.''

the peace accords, signed on january 16 by the fmln and the
government, call for a phased demobilisation of fmln combatants,
which should conclude in october.

meanhwile, armed guerrillas remain concentrated in 15 special
zones, under the obesrvation of the united nations mission in el
salvador (onusal), which is monitoring the peace process.

chavez said although the government had agreed to solve the
guerrillas' logistical problems, efforts had focused only on
providing subsistence and had not addressed the need to provide
projects to support their re-insertion into civilian life.

the criticism was also directed at the united states government,
which the fmln says has witheld financial support for el
salvador's national reconstruction plan.

the plan will cost an estimated 2,200 million dollars, and the us
has agreed to provide initial aid worth 250 million dollars.

chavez said the fmln will send a letter to the us congress this
week, warning that the present problems could delay the
disarmament process, and calling for some of the funds to be
assigned to assistance projects for demobilised fmln combatants.

the fmln will also present an aid plan for demobilised guerrillas
and their families, which includes education, housing and health
programmes as well as assistance projects for war widows and
wounded combatants.

chavez said the fmln is seeking 21 million dollars from the
european community to fund these projects. he added that germany
has agreed to finance training programmes for 1,500 former
combatants and the construction of 1,935 homes.

for its part, the government announced monday that it will provide
94 million dollars to assist 39,000 or so demobilised members of
the armed forces and 8,000 former guerrillas.

an official communique says the aid package will include farming
equipment and domestic appliances as well as training and
rehabilitation programmes for the war-wounded.
(ends/ips/trd/bf/sfi/cg/92)
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america