orb@whuts.UUCP (SEVENER) (01/05/86)
Eduardo Krell writes: > > > > I am not making this up, believe me. I think it was about a year ago > > whem the catholic church sponsored a meeting between Duarte and the > > rebel leaders in some remote wooden house in the countryside. > > I recall seeing TV footage of the meetings. There were great expectations > > from the meetings but the rebels' demands were unrealistic. That meeting raised great hopes for some sort of negotiated settlement to the war in El Salvador. It is interesting (but to be expected) that the US State Dept was rather cool on the idea. After this meeting the political leaders of the rebels who had left the country in fear of their lives, made plans to return to the country last month. It is obvious that any political settlement must allow the left to participate in elections and develop their peaceful political organization free of fear from the death squads. (Note the difference between the Salvadoran and Nicaraguan elections: the leading opposition candidate in Nicaragua, Arturo Cruz, was strongly courted by the Sandinistas to run in the last election, even tho he was strongly opposed to the Sandinistas and had links with the contras. Yet prodded by the US State Dept he refused to run. The opposition parties in El Salvador are not even allowed to run at all) The planned return of rebel political leaders was seen as a hopeful sign that a negotiated settlement was possible and power would shift to the political rather than military leaders of the rebels. That hope was dashed when Duarte announced that rebel political leaders would not be protected and were subject to arrest upon their return to the country. So prospects for a peaceful political settlement seem unlikely once again..... tim sevener whuxn!orb