/* Written 10:46 PM Jul 24, 1991 by cerisea in igc:reg.guatemala */ /* ---------- "Cerigua Briefs July 14 - 20" ---------- */ CERIGUA WEEKLY BRIEFS, JULY 14 - JULY 20, 1991 Third Round of Peace Talks To Begin The National Reconciliation Commission (CNR) announced that peace negotiations between the Guatemalan government and the insurgent opposition, the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG), are continuing July 22-26 in Queretaro, Mexico. The item for discussion the first two days will be democratization of Guatemala. Human rights will be discussed the remaining three days. Democratization proved a difficult issue in the June round as two different perspectives became evident. The government believes that democracy already exists in Guatemala and merely needs strengthening. The rebels say that the peace process and the building of democracy should not be limited solely to the government, military, and insurgent representatives. The URNG stresses that the different social sectors must actively participate in building a national consensus to solve the problems which started the war. Furthermore, the insurgency says that Guatemala must first be demilitarized before democracy can exist. At the Central American summit in El Salvador, regional demilitarization was discussed. According to Prensa Libre, President Serrano opposed it: "Now is not the time to reduce the size of the army," Serrano stated. "It would weaken our position in the peace talks." He also indicated that there would be no reduction in the army until the guerrillas put down their weapons, reported television newscast Notisiete. The daily El Grafico quoted President Serrano's son Arturo in Los Angeles as saying that the price of peace in Guatemala will be to yield part of the power to the armed groups and that although "the price is high, the war must not go on." Representing the URNG are Commanders Pablo Monsanto, Gaspar Ilom, and Rolando Moran. URNG Political-Diplomatic Team members attending are Luis Bekker, Francisco Villagran, Miguel Angel Sandoval, and advisor Mario Vinicio Castaneda. The government delegation, headed by Manuel Conde, includes Development Minister Manolo Bendfeld and Interior Minister Fernando Hurtado. Presidential advisors participating are Amilcar Burgos, Luis Asensio y Ernesto Viteri. Military delegates include Generals Jose Garcia, and Mario Enriquez. Colonels Marco Antonio Gonzalez and Julio Balconi, and support technicians identified only as Trujillo, Gomez, and Jimenez will also participate on behalf of the army. Military delegate Enrique Godoy will not attend this round. Since the June talks Godoy has become Army Chief of Staff and must attend to his new duties, according to Manuel Conde. The CNR announced that the fourth round of talks will be held in August in Venezuela. URNG Representative Addresses Sandinista Congress URNG leader Carlos Gonzalez received a standing ovation from the 500 Sandinista delegates at the First Congress of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) held in Managua, Nicaragua. Gonzalez said the conditions are favorable for a negotiated political solution to the thirty year old internal armed conflict. He paid tribute to the Sandinista Revolution celebrating its anniversary on July 19 and also saluted the Cuban Revolution to be commemorated on July 26. Church Worker Killed Lay religious worker Julio Quevedo Quezada was shot to death three days after the Catholic Church published its report on human rights violations in Guatemala. Human rights official Cesar Alvarez said the murder was politically motivated. The Catholic Church recorded over 400 cases of death threats, murders, and disappearances in the first six months of this year, according to the television newscast Notisiete. Quevedo, an agronomist, worked as an advisor to Bishop Julio Cabrera of the Quiche Diocese. Archbishop of Guatemala Prospero Penados said that Quevedo and murdered anthropologist Myrna Mack participated closely in the social work of the Diocese. He condemned the attacks against the church and expressed concern over threats against the life of Bishop Cabrera. In June, the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York City disclosed the existence of a list of religious workers targetted by the military. Relative of Plaintiff in Gramajo Lawsuit Jailed Israel Callejas Tobar was kidnapped and later imprisoned in Guatemala City, the daily El Grafico reported. Men in civilian clothing forced Callejas into a vehicle with foreign license plates and took him to a National Police unit, according to his brother Jairo Edilberto Callejas Tobar. The charges against him are unclear. Callejas was a survivor of the Aguacate massacre in 1988. Under the command of former defense minister General Hector Gramajo, twenty campesinos were murdered by the Guatemalan military. Israel's father, Alberto Callejas y Callejas, was allegedly disappeared after refusing to participate in General Gramajo's cover-up of the massacre in which several members of the Callejas extended family were killed. Israel's father would not blame the guerrillas for the murders, but told human rights investigators that the military had committed the murders. Another of Alberto Callejas's sons, Jose Alfredo Callejas, corroborated his testimony. Jose Alfredo Callejas was among the nine Guatemalans who filed suit against Gramajo in June. The Callejas suit, which is being handled by the Center for Constitutional Rights, charges Gramajo with ordering, approving, and directing the disappearance of Alberto Callejas y Callejas. "First Conference of the Victims of Repression and Impunity" Organizations of victims of government repression held a conference in Guatemala City July 18-19. Rosalina Tuyuc of the National Council of Widows of Guatemala (CONAVIGUA) opened the conference: "We are going to fight so that our beloved Guatemala will be recognized nationally and internationally without a drop of blood spilled, without tears or pain. We will work united in defense of our rights, the culture of our Mayan ancestors, the land, and life." An indigenous woman organizer explained in Notisiete's televised press conference that this "First Conference of the Victims of Repression and Impunity" seeks the unification of all victims: "We are often accused of being subversive or communist because we are organized. But we cannot be blamed for being organized. The organizations have emerged out of the violence, and the violence has come from the authorities." Participating organizations included CONAVIGUA, the National Council of the Displaced in Guatemala (CONDEG), the Communities in Resistance (CPR) of the Sierra, and the CPR of Ixcan, the Permanent Commissions (CCPP), the Organizations of Women Refugees, the Mutual Support Group for the Relatives of the Disappeared (GAM), and the Runujel Junam Council of Ethnic Communities (CERJ). Government Violates Refugee Agreement The Permanent Commissions (CCPP) of Guatemalan refugees in Mexico stated that the Guatemalan government has refused to guarantee their delegates' safety during their visit to Guatemala City to participate in the "First Conference of the Victims of Repression and Impunity." The government official to accompany the CCPP delegation to the conference was recalled, thus jeopardizing the safety of the delegates. An agreement was made in May in Nueva Libertad, Chiapas, Mexico, to guaranteed the safety of the refugee representatives. It was signed by the CEAR, the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, and the Mexican Commission to Aid Refugees. Carlos Soto, a columnist for the daily El Grafico, said that Vice President Gustavo Espina, president of the Special Commission to Aid Repatriates (CEAR), seeks to eliminate United Nations supervision of negotiations on the refugees' return. Former CEAR director Carmen de Leon stated that the refugees in Mexico who "dare to come back" are considered guerrillas or guerrilla collaborators by the government. Internally Displaced a "Military Problem" The government will not address the problem of the 11,000 internally displaced people in the provinces of Huehuetenango and Quiche because they are considered a "military problem," according to Carmen de Leon, former director of the Special Commission to Aid Repatriates (CEAR). The Communities in Resistance (CPR) lost their lands to the counterinsurgency campaigns of the eighties. Over the past ten years, they have survived in the mountains where they are constantly pursued by the army as guerrillas. The CPRs have demanded to be recognized as civilian populations in accordance with international law. Cerezo Acknowledges Role of Security Forces in Ortiz Case The Dianna Ortiz suit against Cerezo's defense minister General Hector Gramajo "may have some basis of truth," said former president Vinicio Cerezo. Investigations, he said, "show that it was the security forces." In reference to the defamation of the nun by both Gramajo and former Minister of Interior General Carlos Morales, Cerezo said Gramajo retracted the statements at his request. During Cerezo's presidency (1986-1991), there were 4,000 political murders and 1,000 kidnappings and disappearances. In defense of Gramajo, Cerezo said he regretted the charges against him because they were made by persons "who were not familiar with the country's history." The former president was interviewed by CERIGUA in Managua, Nicaragua, where he was attending the First Congress of the Sandinista National Liberation Front. Government Says Land Reform is Insufficient Land reform is not an adequate solution for Guatemala, according to Minister of Labor Mario Solorzano, because there would not be enough land for all campesinos, reported the Prensa Libre. The campesinos would not have the technology to improve the land for increased production if the government gave it to them, he indicated. Campesinos often do not want a piece of land but prefer a good salary and fringe benefits which allow them to support their children, he said. Ixil Communities Attacked The army attacked two Ixil indigenous towns with heavy artillery, according to the insurgency, the URNG. Ixil farming areas in the province of Quiche were also hit by artillery fired from the military barracks at San Gaspar Chajul and the Finca San Francisco. These attacks against the indigenous people are part of the "policy of terror and extermination" executed under orders of President Serrano as Commander in Chief of the army, the rebels stated. The URNG has called upon Human Rights Ombudsman Ramiro de Leon to condemn the attacks against the Ixils. German Citizen Killed German technician Horst Wischerath, an employee of the Siemens company, has been killed by unknown assailants. His uncle, who escaped assault and carried his nephew to the hospital, reported the attack. The German embassy has asked Minister of Interior Fernando Hurtado to have the National Police investigate. The police have charged the uncle, Paul Tresia, with the murder. However, he has fled the country. The German government is now the third foreign country which has requested investigations into murders of its citizens, in addition to Mexico and the United States. President Leaving GAM Temporarily Nineth de Garcia, president of the Mutual Support Group for the Relatives of the Disappeared (GAM), is retiring temporarily. GAM member Marcia Mendez stated that Garcia has left the organization because of the constant threats and persecution she has experienced in recent months. She will return in early 1992, according to the daily El Grafico. Supreme Court Chief Accuses Police of Illegal Actions Security forces employ illegal procedures, according to Supreme Court President Edmundo Vasquez. Ninety percent of their arrests are made without legal warrants and the police evidence for cases presented to the courts is ridiculous, said Vasquez. The Attorney General's office announced that under the Serrano's Plan for Immediate Tranquility for the Citizenry (TIP) warrants are unnecessary for inspection of a place where a crime has been reported or is presumed to be in the making. Employment Situation Forty-one percent of the active working population is underemployed or unemployed, according to Vice Minister of Labor Carlos Contreras. The number of active workers is 2.3 million and of those, 34% are underemployed. This means at least one million Guatemalans are without work and live in impoverished conditions, according to the Prensa Libre. ***************** 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.