/* Written 11:30 PM Apr 16, 1991 by cerisea in igc:reg.guatemala */ /* ---------- "Cerigua Briefs Apr. 7 - 13" ---------- */ WEEKLY BRIEFS, APRIL 7 - 13, 1991 URNG Will Present Proposal for Negotiations on Monday The Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) announced on Friday that it will present its proposal for negotiations with the government to the official mediator, Monsignor Rodolfo Quezada, on Monday, April 15. In response to President Serrano's peace plan announced earlier this week, the URNG General Command said it shares the desire to achieve peace as soon as possible. The insurgency leadership added, however, that the signing of a final peace accord must be based on political agreements, concrete measures and a verification process. The URNG leadership clarified that it is willing to participate in public or private meetings with the government, but not secret meetings. President Serrano has announced that the government is ready to begin direct negotiations with the insurgency, but that meetings would be conducted privately and discreetly. The URNG, however, emphasized that the Guatemalan people and the international community should be kept informed of the negotiations. In its statement released on Friday, the URNG confirmed its commitment to reach a political solution to the armed struggle, but said the necessary conditions to suspend military actions have not yet been established. The insurgency said that repression continues in Guatemala and government forces continue to act without fear of punishment. Serrano: Negotiations to Begin Within Twelve Days In a press conference on Monday, April 8, President Serrano presented his plan for "total peace" in which he promised the government will begin negotiations with the URNG before April 20. Serrano said his government would continue efforts toward peace in accordance with the terms of the Oslo Accords, which are fully recognized and respected. The first step of Serrano's plan is to terminate insurgency actions which will then allow counterinsurgency operations to be eliminated. Serrano said that all sectors of the society, without exception, are permitted to freely participate in the political arena in Guatemala, therefore the use of violence is unjustified. Serrano's plan also proposes to achieve greater economic and social equity, and strengthen the country's judicial system and democratic institutions. Serrano said his plan demonstrates tremendous flexibility in relation to "our past positions" and confirmed that the plan has the full support of the army. He said that in order to achieve peace and reconciliation it is necessary to not focus on assigning blame, because this would be a never-ending process. He concluded that "peace is near" and said he didn't want to have to go to international forums to defend Guatemala anymore. On Thursday the Guatemala Flash radio broadcast announced that according to reliable sources President Serrano would not participate in negotiations with the URNG, but that the government delegation would be granted the necessary decision-making power. By the end of the week the members of the government delegation had not been announced, but Serrano confirmed on Thursday that military officials would be included. He said it would be illogical for those who specialize in miitary matters to be excluded from a discussion on the armed struggle. Government spokesman Gonzalo Asturias clarified on Wednesday that a cease fire during the negotiations was not under discussion. Reactions to the Prospect of Negotiations The Guatemalan Bishops Conference, the Protestant Church and the Permanent Assembly of Christian Groups characterized the government's disposition to begin talks with the URNG as a reason for hope but expressed their concern for the delay in complying with the Oslo Accords signed in March 1990. A statement by the religious groups which was aired on Notisiete Friday evening emphasized the need for all of the nation's sectors to participate in defining the necessary constitutional and institutional changes to take place. After several hours of speeches, the National Congress unanimously passed a resolution in favor of President Serrano's peace plan. The Movement for National Liberation (MLN) party congratulated Serrano for taking the "first serious and formal step toward reaching national reconciliation". Representative Oliverio Garcia of the National Centrist Union Party (UCN) pointed out that there will not be peace as long as there is poverty and discrimination against the indigenous and campesino populations. General Secretary Federico Pola of the Council of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (CACIF), confirmed support from that largest private enterprise association for Serrano's plan. The president of the largest grassroots organization, on the other hand, called the plan superficial. Byron Morales of the United Labor and Popular Action (UASP) said the plan avoids making concrete proposals for dealing with the roots of the country's problems. Five ambassadors of European Community nations met with President Serrano to express their support for the peace process in Guatemala. The government of Norway, represented by the Minister of Cooperation for Development, gave its consent for the signing of a peace agreement to take place inOslo. The U.S. ambassador to Guatemala said his government fully supports Serrano's plan, and added that the URNG's acceptance of the plan represents a significant advance toward peace. Finance Minister Explains Reasons for Resigning Now ex-Finance Minister Irma Raquel Zelaya confirmed that one of the reasons she resigned this week was because she had received death threats. Zelaya told Prensa Libre that she was threatened after trying to rid the police force of imaginary positions. These positions are placed on the payroll to earn multiple salaries for police chiefs. Zelaya said that she was frightened by the messages warning her to stop causing a stir, "given where they came from." Zelaya said that she left her position because of the death threats as well as the government's distressing economic status and the job's negative effects on her health. She had been appointed by President Serrano less than three months ago. Economic Minister Richard Aitkenhead will take her place, and his position will be filled by Juan Luis Miron. Miron, who was previously the president of the Chamber of Free Enterprise, said he will maintain his predecessor's neoliberal economic policies due to their proven success. Devine Murder Continues to Make the News U.S. Ambassador Thomas Stroock confirmed this week that U.S. military aid will remain on hold until members of the Guatemalan army who are responsible for the murder of a U.S. citizen are punished. Stroock said this has been made very clear to the Guatemalan government and army. The statement by the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala, which referred to the June 1990 murder of Michael Devine, was printed in Thursday's Prensa Libre. An editorial in the March 27 edition of the same newspaper quoted an unidentified U.S. official who said that his government knows who killed Devine and has provided the Guatemalan government with adequate evidence, but no progress has been made on the case. Sunday's edition of the New York Times reported that five Guatemalan soldiers who have been detained since October have declared their innocence and offered to give depositions which implicate seven other soldiers and two army officers. U.S. officials say the detained soldiers either overheard the nine newly accused planning the crime or saw them leave the military base to commit the crime. This is not the first time information has surfaced which implicates army officers in the crime. The Mutual Support Group for Relatives of the Disappeared (GAM) charged last September that Army Colonel Mario Garcia Catalan and a military intelligence officer known as Nito Cabrera had been involved. The motive for killing the U.S. citizen has not been established. An unnamed U.S. Senate aid cited by the New York Times on Sunday has speculated that Devine accidentally discovered a poppy field protected by the army during one of his hiking excursions. Melvyn Levitsky, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics Matters, told the New York Times that the Devine case presents a major obstacle to full cooperation between the two countries and has impeded joint operations in combatting cocaine trafficking. "Until we have a military relationship again, we are hindered in our ability to help them in their drug effort," Levitsky said. Political Killings During Serrano Government The Mutual Support Group for Relatives of the Disappeared (GAM) presented its report on the Serrano government's first three months to a delegation from France this week. The report by GAM documents 177 cases of extrajudicial executions since Serrano took office. It was received by a delegation which was composed of French legislators and a member of the International Federation of Human Rights. The purpose of the delegation's visit is to analyze the human rights situation in Guatemala. Ex-Labor Leader Accuses Police of Torture The former general secretary of the State Electrical Workers Union (STINDE) has accused national police officers of torturing him while in their custody. Otto Ivan Rodriguez was arrrested on Thursday, April 5 while traveling on the Interamerican Highway near Chiquimula and charged with driving a stolen car. The radio broadcast Patrullaje Informative reported that Assistant Human Rights Ombudsman Cesar Alvarez visited Rodriguez in a Guatemala City jail on Monday evening, April 8. The assistant ombudsman verified that Rodriguez showed signs of having been tortured, including cigarette burns and a badly injured eye. A spokesman for the National Police charged on Tuesday that the injuries were self-inflicted in order to discredit the police forces. Spokesman Rodolfo Valverde added that Rodriguez had offered to pay a fellow prisoner to beat him. On Monday evening the Mutual Support Group for Relatives of the Disappeared (GAM) denounced Rodriguez' torture as proof that free expression and the right to organize are prohibited in Guatemala. The United Labor and Popular Action (UASP) protested Rodriguez' detention as an abuse of power and violation of human rights. Jose Pinzon of the Federation of Guatemalan Workers (CGTG) characterized the incident as an example of repression against trade unions which exists underthe Serrano government. Body Exhumed from Clandestine Cemetery The Assistant Human Rights Ombudsman has reported that the remains of Jose Naz were found in a clandestine cemetery in San Antonio Sinache, Zacualpa, Quiche. According to Naz' relatives, he was murdered eight years ago by civil patrollers commanded by Delfino Pascual Hernandez. His relatives say that no one has dared to arrest Hernandez although an arrest warrant has been issued, continued the report in Prensa Libre. Assistant Ombudsman Cesar Alvarez said his office is investigating 125 clandestine cemeteries which have been denounced by Mutual Support Group for Relatives of the Disappeared (GAM). Anne Manuel of Americas Watch was quoted in El Gr fico as saying that everyone in Quiche knows where clandestine cemeteries are located, but the people are afraid to talk. ***************** 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. 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