/* Written 10:54 PM Jul 30, 1991 by cerisea in igc:reg.guatemala */ /* ---------- "Cerigua Briefs July 21 - 27" ---------- */ CERIGUA WEEKLY BRIEFS, July 21 - 27, 1991 Government and URNG Sign Accord on Democratization The Serrano government and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) signed the "Queretaro Accord" July 25 on the democratization of Guatemala. After four days of talks, negotiators agreed that civilian rule must prevail over the armed forces; repression and electoral fraud must be eliminated; there must be unrestricted respect for human rights; and the identity and rights of indigenous people must be respected. Both sides agreed that measures are required to democratize the national economy, and the political, social and cultural life of Guatemala. The accord states that procedures and political agreements reached in negotiations must be reported fairly and objectively to the Guatemalan people and must reflect the legitimate aspirations of all Guatemalans. These agreements, in turn, will provide the blueprint for effective institutions and constitutional reforms, said the document. The Queretaro agreement states that prerequisites for the strengthening of functional and participatory democracy are civilian rule, the development of an institutionally democratic way of life, and an effective judicial system. Furthermore, the document says that, based on principles of social justice, all Guatemalans have the right to access and enjoy the benefits of national production and natural resources. It also establishes that peoples uprooted by the internal armed conflict must be resettled. It was agreed that democratization must guarantee and promote the participation, both direct and indirect, of civilian society in the formulation, execution, and evaluation of government policies. Future issues for negotiation will be addressed within the guidelines agreed upon in this accord. The discussion on human rights began the last day and will continue into the next round in August. The site has yet to be announced. Reactions to Queretaro Accord URNG Commander Rolando Moran called the latest round of talks a complete success. The Queretaro Accord is the first substantive agreement reached in the negotiations for peace. Democracy has been unknown to Guatemalans during these past forty years, he said, and its absence was one of the original motivating forces for the armed struggle. Commander Moran said the issue was extremely difficult to resolve in that negotiators sought to address not only a political solution to the war, but the development of a functional and participatory democracy. They did not seek "just any kind of democracy, but a democracy which corresponds to the specific situation of the Guatemalan people," said the insurgent leader. Manuel Conde, head of the government negotiating team, said the agreement was a valuable instrument for the future of Guatemala and the achievement of a firm and lasting peace accord. United Nations observer Francesc Vendrell stated that "the people of Guatemala are one, and are destined to unite and understand one another." This process is no simple negotiation between two parties, Vendrell said, but the beginning of a national accord which will lead to the building of a new democratic Guatemala. Forces of Equal Strength Commander Pablo Monsanto of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) said there is a balance of strength between rebel forces and the Guatemalan army. In an interview with the Mexican daily La Jornada, Monsanto said that neither side can achieve any strategic upsets in the war since there is now a balance of force. The URNG is thus in a position of political strength which forces the government to seek a negotiated solution to the conflict, he added. Monsanto stressed that "negotiation is not revolution" but a way to reach agreements for political participation within "a truly democratic context." He said, "we don't fool ourselves. We don't think we're going to make a revolution through negotiations." The rebel leader indicated that the URNG "has not changed its concept of the way to revolution." The concept is based on the specific characteristics of the Guatemalan reality, he said, and "this does not mean that we have renounced the revolution." As to URNG strategy now, he said, "the building of democracy is an important step on the path to revolution." Full Expression for Indigenous Peoples in the "New Guatemala" Commander Pablo Monsanto said the army's counterinsurgency campaign is "the continuation of the Spanish Conquest." In an interview in Queretaro, Mexico, with the Mexican daily La Jornada, Monsanto said "what the colonialists couldn't finish - meaning, the imposition of a central military power over a local political power - the today's army has come to complete." The "new Guatemala" must legally recognize the social and political forms of indigenous organization, said the rebel commander. Participation in political parties is not enough to express their needs as a people, he said. Full expression requires more than just freedom; they must create their own mechanisms to allow full participation in national life. On the issue of land, Monsanto said that to change the current land distribution, there must be total indigenous involvement in making the decisions that affect their future. As a communal people who place the interests of the community above the interests of the individual, they have resisted the scorched earth policies, the model villages, and the militarization of their environment, he said. They have resisted government extermination policies through their "collective heroism," according to the URNG leader. Sixty percent of the nine million people in Guatemala belong to one of twenty-two indigenous groups, each speaking its own native language. Commander Monsanto said 70% of the insurgent combatants, collaborators, and social base comes from the indigenous population. U.S. Senate Approves Aid Bill With a vote of 74 to 14, the U.S. Senate joined the House of Representatives on July 26 in approving the cutoff of military assistance to Guatemala until 1993. In addition, the law now conditions economic aid on the improvement of human rights and excludes assistance for balance of payments. Kentucky Senators Wendell Ford (D) and Mitch McConnell (R) attached conditions to the law that requiere resolution of specific human rights cases: the kidnapping and torture of Dianna Ortiz, the murder of Michael Devine, both U.S. citizens; the murder of Guatemalans Myrna Mack and Refugio Villanueva Barrera, wife of journalist Byron Barrera; the kidnapping and murder of lawyer Gilda Flores and of Salvadoran Social Democrat leader Hector Oqueli; and the massacre at Santiago Atitlan. BCCI Bribed Three Guatemalan Generals The Bank of Credit & Commerce International (BCCI) has bribed three Guatemalan generals whose names have not been made public at press time. The BCCI scandal was the cover story scandal of Time magazine's July 29 issue. This international banking empire, with headquarters in Pakistan, is represented by the U.S. law firm Patton, Bogs, & Globe. PB&G is also the public relations firm for the Guatemalan government in the United States. The $20 billion "rogue bank" is a "financial supermarket for crooks and spies," said Time. The magazine also indicated that part of a $30 million loan to Guatemala in 1988-1989 could have been used as a bribe to stop a government probe into dealings of BCCI customer Munther Bilbeisi, a coffee smuggler and arms merchant. "Victims of Repression and Impunity" to Press Charges Organizations attending the "First Conference of the Victims of Repression and Impunity" on July 18-19, produced a joint statement aired on the radio newscast Guatemala Flash. They announced six demands: 1) End to impunity through repeal of the military's amnesty law, prosecution of Generals Benedicto Lucas Garcia and Efrain Rios Montt along with six civil patrollers, and certain civilian agents employed by the military and investigation of all clandestine cemeteries; 2) Removal and elimination of all means of military control: civil patrols, development poles, model villages, forced recruitment; 3) Indemnization for all material damages and losses since 1970; (4) Full consideration of these demands within the peace negotiations; (5) Fulfillment of agreements between the government, the refugees, and the internally displaced; (6) Recovery of ancestral lands violently and illegally seized. In a telephone interview with television news agency Notisiete, General Benedicto Lucas Garcia, Armed Forces Chief of Staff during the presidency of his brother General Romeo Lucas Garcia (1978-1982), said if he was taken to court, he could countersue for having his honor defamed. Cholera in Guatemala The first case of cholera in Central America has been confirmed, according to the Mexican daily El Financiero. Health authorities estimate that 270,000 persons could be infected if the epidemic spreads. A mortality rate of 1%, or 2,700 deaths is predicted. This figure could be much greater, authorities said, because of unsanitary living conditions. U.S. Military Presence Confirmed The Guatemalan military honored U.S. military advisor Alfonso Sapia Bosh with a medal, the "Cross of First Class Military Merit," for his "exceptional and meritorious" services during his tour of duty in Guatemala. Neither the number of U.S. advisors nor the length of their stay in Guatemala has been made public. In 1988 URNG Commander Rolando Moran denounced the presence of 100 U.S. military advisors. URNG Guarantees Delegation's Safety In War Zones The URNG issued a statement refuting Guatemalan press accounts that the rebels opposed the visit of an international delegation to areas occupied by Guatemala's internally displaced populations. The URNG General Command has expressed its commitment to ensuring safe passage for the Multipartite Commission in its upcoming visit to the Communities in Resistance (CPRs) of Ixcan living in areas of conflict. The Multipartite Commission is made up of a Catholic fact-finding committee, human rights officials, and representatives of national and international non- governmental agencies. The visit to the CPRs in the Quiche province has been rescheduled for August. On July 23, the army fired fifteen 105 millimeter shells into farming areas and dwelling sites of campesino families of Pueblo Nuevo and Union Cuarto Pueblo, the URNG reported. The upcoming visit to this area by the Human Rights Ombudsman and the Multipartite Commission has not deterred army attacks, said the rebels. The army claims there are no civilian population centers in that area. Children's Rights Violated Children are the most unprotected sector in Guatemala, said Marilys de Estrada, Children's Rights Defender at the Human Rights Office. Prensa Libre reported that the Human Rights Office's statistics show that 48.2% of children's cases registered are for mistreatment, 13.1% of the cases reported are abuse of street children by security forces. When police catch a minor stealing, the child should be taken to the proper authority, said De Estrada, not beaten and tortured. Among cases of child abuse, 10% fall under military recruitment, 8.5% are school-related, and 5.5% involve the child's health. United Nations Study Shows Poverty Increasing A study by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) shows that between 1980 and 1989 poverty increased annually in Guatemala at an average rate of 2.8% per year, according to Prensa Libre. However, during the period 1980-1986, the number of poor families doubled, bringing the average annual rate to 5.3% per year for that period. The worst cases are found on the fringes of Guatemala City where 700,000 endure the harsh consequences of new government policies. Landless campesinos and the unemployed living along the urban fringes are "the poorest of the poor," said the daily. The United Nations Human Development Report indicates that in 1990, 6.5 million Guatemalans lived below the poverty level, 6.1 million lacked access to health services, 3.6 million were without drinking water, and 3.9 million lived without hygienic facilities. For children under five, 0.5 million suffered from malnutrition, and 1.4 million did not attend junior high or high school. Price Increase in Electricity Electricity rates will increase 47% by August 1 with another 48% increase scheduled for December, officials say. A manager for a commercial electrical company said the increase is due to pressure from international financial agencies to pay back the energy sector's foreign debt. Human Rights Ombudsman Ramiro de Leon said the increase will trigger a social explosion, and labor leaders have called on the people to refuse to pay. ***************** 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.