/* Written 9:53 PM Jan 28, 1991 by cerisea in igc:reg.guatemala */ /* ---------- "Cerigua Briefs Jan. 19-26" ---------- */ CERIGUA WEEKLY BRIEFS, January 19 - 26, 1991 Petroleum Subsidies Eliminated Price subsidies granted to importers of petroleum were eliminated on Tuesday, according to the National Monetary Board. Federico Linares, the president of the Board and the national Bank of Guatemala, said that the price of petroleum must reflect its true cost and emphasized that the action was taken to eliminate distortions that contribute to inflation. The new economic measure was taken in the context of the war in the Persian Gulf, the highest rate of inflation in the country's history which reached 60% during 1990 and the beginning of a new government facing critical economic conditions. Some analysts say the action was among the demands made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), whose representatives recently met with newly-elected President Serrano. President Linares said the National Monetary Board intends to eliminate all economic distortions that generate inflation. This may include reducing public expenditures, reducing currency in circulation, eliminating unnecessary subsidies, as well as other measures. Serrano's Plan to Save Energy Economic measures implemented by the Serrano governmemt were summarized in Prensa Libre on Saturday, the 19th and include the following: restrictions on the circulation of state- owned vehicles, changes in government office hours, restriction on the use of electricity for commercial signs and billboards after 8:00 p.m., and the prohibition of the sale of gasoline in containers. Government Energy-Saving Measures Criticized The energy-saving measures introduced by Serrano are being criticized by various sectors for only superficially confronting the problem. Opposition party legislator Juan Carlos Simons of the National Centrist Union (UCN) party said the government should establish a policy for the exploration and production of energy instead of merely implementing short-sighted emergency measures. From the private sector, the Chamber of Industry said on Wednesday that current measures are only cosmetic and do not address the depth of the problem. The labor organization UNSITRAGUA warned that the measures will provoke scarcity, hoarding and price increases of basic consumer products. Petroleum Supply Debated Amid fear and speculation of rising gasoline prices,governing party Congressman Cesar Porres assured on Tuesday that the price of petroleum won't increase during the next 60 days, since Guatemala's main petroleum suppliers have guaranteed delivery. Porres, of the United Action Movement (MAS) party, was referring to the Venezuelan and Mexican governments, which have both indicated they will continue to supply Guatemala with petroleum. Venezuela's ambassador to Guatemala announced on Thursday that a team of technicians from his country were in Guatemala to begin negotiation of an agreement regarding petroleum exploration of potential untapped resources. Financial State of Government Treasury Argued A controversy which arose this week between President Serrano and his predecessor led the labor organization UNSITRAGUA to charge both politicians of manipulating the country's severe economic crisis in an effort to persuade people to take sides. Ten days after taking office, President Serrano announced that the Christian Democrats had left the government bankrupt, making it difficult to even pay state workers' salaries. He said he will present a report next week on the debts his government has inherited, so that the people of Guatemala will be aware of the circumstances under which he has taken office. Cerezo denied the charges and suggested that the new government is hiding information or lacks the experience and expertise to manage financial matters. The Guatemalan workers' union UNSITRAGUA responded to this latest exchange of accusations by saying that instead of criticizing, Serrano should take those who have looted government funds to court. According to the January 26 issue of the Mexican daily Excelsior, UNSITRGUA contend that Serrano knew the financial state of the government before taking office, so he must be looking for a controversy now when he is about to announce economic measures that could hurt the most impoverished sectors of the country. New Appointees Linked to Army and Past Military Regimes President Serrano's most recent appointments by announced this week include Manuel Polanco as Vice-minister of the Interior. Polanco was president of the Congress during the Romeo Lucas military dictatorship (1978-82) and was reportedly considered to be the "president's man". As previously reported, the new Minister of the Interior is Colonel Ricardo Mendez, also linked to a past military regime. Mendez has been named to the same post he held during the Rios Montt government (1982-83). Colonel Mario Paiz was named director of the National Police. He has served as the chief of the civilian affairs section of the army chiefs of staff and has also commanded provincial military bases during the last four years. In addition to being directed by an army colonel, the National Police as well as all security forces in Guatemala are under the control of the army under what is referred to as the Citizen Protection System (SIPROCI). Demands Made for Most Basic of Services In the first major demonstration of the year, members of different social movement organizations together under the umbrella of the United Labor and Popular Action (UASP) held a march and delivered more than ten petitions to the new president on Friday afternoon. The petitions dealt with such issues as price controls, the cost of public services and improvements in the overall standard of living. Among the participants were 500 children from the Guatemalan highlands, orphaned when one or both of their parents fell victim to kidnapping. They marched together with members of the organization of Guatemalan widows, CONAVIGUA. Rosalina Tuyuc spoke for the women, demanding that their children be exempted from school registration and supply fees that make it impossible for to send their children to school. Social Pact Must be Made with Workers In a paid statement on Monday, a recently formed labor organization, the United Front of Guatemalan Workers (FUTG) and a fieldworkers organization (CTC) issued a statement to the new president demanding that the basis of his proposed social pact be agreements with workers themselves and not labor chiefs. The two organizations, one representing urban workers and one rural workers, demanded an immediate infusion of $16 million into the health system to ease the nation's hospital crisis, a 5% increase in the education budget, and a 50% cut in discretionary funds managed by the army to be redirected to social programs. The workers' organizations also called for an agrarian reform program, even though this possibility was rejected outright by Serrano before the elections. Communities in Resistance Send Letter to Serrano Thousands of rural Guatemalans displaced by army operations in the early 1980s have since been living in the mountains without the benefit of the most rudimentary services. Over time they have organized into groups, known as the Communities of Population in Resistance in the Mountains (CPR). For many years most Guatemalans did not know this internal refugee population existed, but in recent months their representatives have taken a higher profile and this week issued an open letter to President Serrano, a part of which appeared in Prensa Libre on Wednesday. In the letter the Communities demand a meeting between their representatives, the President and the chief of the armed forces. They also demand that the government permit church and human rights delegations to travel to the communities, mainly in the Quiche province, both to verify their existence and testify to the human rights violations to which they are subject. They asked to be permitted to come out of the settlements where they have been living and "into the light of day," and that they be compensated for property destroyed by the army over the last nine years. They also demanded the dissolution of the mandatory rural civil defense patrols in which hundreds of thousands of Guatemalan men and boys are still forced to participate. URNG Forces Sabotage Oil Exportation Thirty-eight petroleum transport trucks were detained by guerrilla forces operating in the northern province of Peten, according to national press reports on Saturday, January 26. An unidentified driver who escaped from the guerrilla forces told the press that the trucks were transporting petroleum to Puerto Barrios on the Atlantic Coast of Guatemala for exportation. He reported that the trucks had been detained two days earlier and were being held in the Sayaxche district. The extraction of crude oil for exportation by transnational companies has increased and has become a target of sabotage by the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) forces. Last week the national press reported that a section of pipeline in the Alta Verapaz province, which is used to transport petroleum to a refinery in Puerto Barrios, was dynamited by insurgency forces. The official source cited in the report in El Gr fico on January 17 said the pipeline is used by the transnational company, Basic Resources Bahamas. Representatives of another transnational company which is extracting oil in Peten said on the same day that guerrilla forces have been obstructing passage on the highways in the area since November, impeding the transport of crude oil. A paid statement from the URNG was broadcast on Guatemala Flash on January 17 which contended that sabotage of the country's infrastructure is a legitimate and necessary response to the army's repression and terror. The armed opposition explained that sabotage actions are aimed at keeping army forces occupied with guarding the country's infrastructure in an attempt to decrease the atrocities committed daily by the army. Other URNG Actions In a statement released this week, the URNG reported that three helicopters were damaged by insurgency forces in the Quiche province during the last month. Most recently, an air force helicopter was damaged as it was landing at the Cuarto Pueblo military quarters on January 13. In a propaganda campaign carried out in the Quiche province during the last month, the armed opposition distributed flyers and left messages in Santa Cruz del Quiche, the province's capital, in the district seats of Chiche, Chichicastenango and Chinique, and in the districts of Nebaj and Chajul. The URNG also reported this week the capture of an army captain and two second lieutenants by insurgency forces in the Huehuetenango province. The URNG said that the treatment of the army officers was in accordance with international norms for prisoners of war, and that after a long talk, the officers were released. 19th Anniversary of Rebel Organization The Guerrilla Army of the Poor (EGP) celebrated its 19th anniversary this week. It is one of the four organizations that make up the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG). Commander Rolando Moran, who is a member of the URNG General Command, released a statement to the press in commemoration of the occasion. He emphasized that a willingness to create the conditions that will guarantee peace is what is necessary in order to reach a peaceful solution to the internal armed conflict in Guatemala. Commander Moran confirmed that the URNG will continue to press for negotiation with the government and the army, and he urged the country's social and grassroots sectors to direct their efforts to the realization of a national constituent assembly, as a step toward true democracy in Guatemala. Human Rights Group Condemns Actions Against Iraq The Commission for the Defense of Human Rights in Central America (CODEHUCA) publicly condemned the "immoral attack by multinational forces headed/directed by the U.S. against Iraq." The Commission declared that the Security Council of the United Nations has violated its fundamental principles which call for a search for peaceful solutions to conflicts between nations. In the statement publicized on Sunday, CODEHUCA called on the Security Council to reconsider its use of military force and said it should be held responsible for compensation for injuries to civilians. ***************** In the U.S. and Canada subscribe to Weekly Briefs by sending check or money order to: ANI PO Box 28481 Seattle, WA 98118 Subscription fees in the U.S. and Canada: $9 for 3 months, $18 for 6 months, $36 for one year. Elsewhere, contact: CERIGUA Apartado Postal 74206 CP 09080 Delegacion Itzapalapa Mexico, D.F. Telephone: 5102320 - FAX 5109061 - Telex (17) 64525 Also please send us your comments and suggestions to the Seattle address or by email to cerisea on PeaceNet. ich they are subject. They asked to be permitted to come out of the settlements where they have