/* Written 10:47 PM Jun 18, 1991 by cerisea in igc:reg.guatemala */ /* ---------- "Cerigua Briefs June 9 - 15" ---------- */ CERIGUA WEEKLY BRIEFS, JUNE 9 - 15, 1991 **************Post Deadline Update**************** Second Round of Peace Talks Begins The second round of negotiations between the Guatemalan government and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) began in Cuernavaca, Mexico, on Monday morning, June 17. Opening statements were given by Monsignor Rodolfo Quezada, Presidential Chief Aide Manuel Conde, URNG leader Carlos Gonzalez and United Nations representative Francesc Vendrell. Agenda topics for the meeting, scheduled to continue until Saturday, are democratization and human rights. Members of the government delegation are the same as those at the first meeting held in late April, with the addition of recently appointed Interior Minister Fernando Hurtado. The URNG is represented by the full General Command and political-diplomatic team plus two advisors. Before the opening ceremony Presidential Chief Aide Manuel Conde told CERIGUA that the government will not demand that the URNG suspend actions against the country's infrastructure or agree to a ceasefire. Last week Prensa Libre quoted both Conde and Development Minister Manolo Benfeldt saying that the URNG should cease such actions as evidence of their good will to reach a peace agreement. Luz Mendez of the URNG political-diplomatic team emphasized last week that a political solution does not mean simply "the silencing of gunfire or, if you will, peace at any price." Mendez said that by engaging in peace negotiations, the URNG is not substituting one strategy for another; nor is it merely seeking a space in the country's public political life while the society remains under military control. Mendez participated in the second meeting of the Sao Paulo Forum of Latin American political parties and movements, held in Mexico City last week. When asked last week about the agenda topics, Presidential Chief Aide Conde said the government recognizes that human rights are violated in Guatemala, and reiterates its determination to correct the errors of the past. ******************************************* Another Town Demands Removal of Security Forces The police station and army post were removed from San Lucas Toliman in the Solola province this week at the demand of residents. Townspeople rallied in protest Monday evening after community leader Leonardo Barillas Rodas was shot and killed. Three police officers have been accused of the murder, the Assistant Human Rights Ombudsman reported in Friday's Prensa Libre. According to the town mayor, this was not the first such incident. Mayor Mario Maldonado de Leon said six townspeople have been murdered and 17 area residents kidnapped in recent months. After the murder Monday evening, the victim's body was taken to the central plaza where 10,000 residents gathered while church bells rang. The residents refused to let the police take the body to the morgue and demanded to speak with authorities. A long and heated discussion took place between residents, the Solola governor, Assistant Human Rights Ombudsman Cesar Alvarez and the military zone commander. National Police Chief Mario Paiz confirmed on Wednesday that the police corp of seven officers had been removed from San Lucas Toliman. The local press reported that an army post will also be removed. Residents agreed to form voluntary patrols to maintain the town's security and Interior Minister Fernando Hurtado said they will receive appropriate training. San Lucas Toliman is located along Lake Atitlan, about 20 kilometers from the town of Santiago Atitlan. Security forces were also evacuated from Santiago Atitlan after an army massacre last December. Sister Dianna Ortiz Sues Former Defense Minister On June l3, Ursuline nun Dianna Ortiz filed suit against ex- Defense Minister Hector Gramajo for torture, rape, and defamation. This is the second lawsuit Gramajo has received in one week. When he graduated from Harvard University on June 6, he was served papers for a previous multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by nine Guatemalans. On Thursday, Gramajo drew the blinds and waited two hours inside his Harvard dormitory before walking outside to receive the summons for the $10 million lawsuit. When presented with the papers, Gramajo spit on the person serving the summons. President Serrano's Chief Aide Manuel Conde said the lawsuits against Gramajo could be part of a campaign to hurt the government's human rights image when it is dialoguing with the armed opposition. Conde described the general as "well known for his support for the democratization process." The New York Times reported that the general will contest the charges and quoted him as saying, "Maybe their issues are valid, but I am not their target." Crises Give Rise to Rumors of Coup Political violence and the economic crisis worsen as the second round of peace talks approaches. Archbishop Prospero Penados suggested this week that a coup may be broiling in Guatemala. In response to the current situation, the European Community issued a communique calling for all sectors in Guatemala to support the peace process and expressed its concern over the growing violence which threatens to disrupt the negotiations. The government of President Jorge Serrano faces serious financial problems with international credit lines closed and the threat of human rights conditions placed on U.S. economic aid. Lawsuits filed against Hector Gramajo have been perceived inside Guatemala as actions against the Guatemalan army. Carlos Soto, a columnist for the daily El Grafico, claims Serrano faces the same situation that former president Vinicio Cerezo confronted. Only, things are happening "much quicker." "The country is reaching the point of no return," Soto warned. "The Serrano government has talked a lot, promised too much, and the only thing it has reaped is rejection and lack of credibility...Cerezo allowed the last government to maintain a certain degree of credibility for at least three years...But in the case of this government, judgment has already been passed." Internationally Known Leaders Under Threat Despite international recognition of their leadership in the popular movement, threats against Nineth Garcia, Amilcar Mendez, and Father Andres Giron have increased sharply in recent months. Armed men on motorcycles have been following Garcia, the president of GAM, the Mutual Support Group for the Relatives of the Disappeared. She has received threatening phone calls telling her to stop her work and to leave the country or she will be killed. Because of the increased threats, she has sought refuge in an unknown location. Civilian agents captured Amilcar Mendez along with a human rights official Oscar Cifuentes and his secretary. Mendez, the president of the Council for Ethnic Communities Runujel Junam (CERJ), said they were beaten and forced to sign a statement saying they were guerrillas. Otherwise, said Mendez, "they would kill us." The office of the Human Rights Ombudsman demanded the arrest of civil patrol chief Santos Pastor Lopez and civilian agent Fidel Rivas Lopez who were charged as responsible. Likewise, Father Andres Giron, chairman of the Guatemalan legislature's human rights commission has received anonymous phone calls and messages threatening his life. Father Giron is known for his leadership of a pro-land movement in the southern coast and currently serves as vice-chairman for the human rights commission of the Latin American Parliament. Guatemalan Army's Invasion of Mexican Territory The URNG reported that on May 30, Guatemalan army helicopters and planes bombed near the Mexican border as a cover for disembarkment of troops. The action near El Naranjo, Peten endangered the lives of Mexicans living along the Usumacinta River near the border, charged the URNG. Although three helicopters were shot down by rebel forces, three groups of soldiers landed to carry out intensive search operations. Minister of Defense Mendoza said the troops were protecting Guatemala's borders as well as the country's natural resources. When a reporter asked if the bombings endangered the villagers in the area, Mendoza denied putting anyone at risk: "We are very respectful, very careful, and very responsible in what we do." The URNG reported that on June 4, Guatemalan elite Kaibil forces entered Mexican territory and seized a small settlement of mostly Guatemalan widows near Nuevo Progreso, Tabasco. The soldiers destroyed cornfields, corn and bean supplies, and killed 200 chickens and pigs. Relatives also reported the kidnapping of Nuevo Progreso resident Joaquin Lopez by Guatemalan soldiers. Mexican newspapers reported that Mexican citizen Crisoforo Alejo Hernandez was also severely beaten in his own home by Guatemalan soldiers. Damian Rua, whose whereabouts are unknown, was reportedly the target of an army search as well. Rua is a leader of a local communal lands organization who has been accused of having ties to Guatemalan guerrillas. As part of the same operation, on June 5, the Kaibiles seized the town of El Porvenir where 20 Chontal indigenous families of Mexican origin live in unoccupied areas of the Peten area and along the Usumacinta River. When surprised by the Kaibiles, the Chontales fled for the Mexican state of Tabasco, attempting to cross the Usumacinta in canoes. The Kaibiles fired on them in mid-river, killing many, whose bodies were lost in the current. The army recovered supplies and weapons from the fleeing Chontales and claimed a victory, calling the Chontales guerrillas. An autopsy of two unidentified bodies found floating in the river indicated death by torture and heavy blows to the head. The URNG reported the Guatemalan army had killed two Tabascan peasants after accusing them of being Guatemalan rebels. The Mexican National Peasant Confederation stated on June 14 that the torture of Tabascan Hernandez by the Guatemalan military "is a flagrant armed intervention into Mexico" and demanded that the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Relations protest the aggression before the Organization of American States. The Mexican military has confirmed that the Guatemalan army was responsible for beating Mexican citizen Crisoforo Alejo Hernandez and had indeed violated Mexican territory. Guatemalan Defense Minister Luis Mendoza claimed the reports were unfounded and that the Mexican government had issued no statement of protest over the alleged incursions into the state of Tabasco. Violence Spreads Throughout All Sectors Former Judge Hector Clodomiro Espinoza Carrillo was murdered this week in Guatemala leaving his two young children wounded in the attack. His death has been linked to a drug trial two years ago which involved the capture of a shipment of 500 kilos of cocaine worth 25 million quetzales ($5 million). Also in the capital, a wealthy agroindustrialist Roberto Garcia del Valle of the Botran family was shot to death in his car by unknown assailants on Saturday. No Hope for Economic Relief Until Year's End International financial institutions are not expected to open credit lines to Guatemala until at least November or December. Bank of Guatemala President Federico Linares said this week the government will hopefully be able to make overdue interest payments to the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and International Development Bank by the end of the year. Linares said the government hopes Congress will pass the proposed bond issue so that part of the raised revenue can be used to pay overdue interest. The increased revenue will also make it possible to negotiate short-term loans from Mexico, Venezuela and the United States. Linares said two weeks ago that the government urgently needs U.S. economic aid. The U.S. Congress, however, is considering limiting economic aid to specific uses unless the human rights situation improves. There is no doubt that the government is in a critical economic crisis. Proposed remedies include only a controversial bond issue, loans and donations. The Bank of Guatemala President said this week the government simply does not have any investment projects to present to international lending institutions. An El Grafico columnist said on Tuesday that Serrano's government has made enormous concessions to members of the country's economic elite in hopes of winning their support for government measures. The private sector, however, has so far refused to pay overdue taxes and to accept the government's design for the bondissue. Interior Minister Tries to Improve Police Image "It is regrettable that people are afraid when they see a police officer. Police forces [in Guatemala] have been historically viewed very negatively," commented Interior Minister Fernando Hurtado. He urged National and Treasury Police chiefs to become lawful, exemplary citizens so people will have confidence in the security forces. Great efforts are being made to prevent acts of violence, assured Interior Minister Hurtado. The first consultation by Chilean "carabinero" police experts ended this week in a ceremony where they were praised as distinguished visitors and excellent collaborators. Chilean politicians Pascal Allende, a nephew of former President Salvador Allende, and Eduardo Contreras both stated, to the contrary, that the carabineros are a militarized police force responsible for thousands of murders and disappearances during the past 17 years. The police force has been under the army's control since the military coup in 1973, explained the politicians, and directly participated in the repression during the Pinochet dictatorship. The two politicians were interviewed while attending the Sao Paulo Forum for Latin American political parties and movements held in Mexico City this week. ***************** 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: $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.