mi Regime rejects FMLN proposals on elections
EL SALVADOR DOCUMENT
Natives to their former owners, members of the oligarchy. On this occasion, UNOC leaders have said that if this continues, there will be nothing left but to take up arms and "go into the mountains." "Whatever else happens, and cease-fire the polarization will increase"
The peasants and cooperative farmers
THE TEXT of the FMLN's latest proposal for dialogue is also have to contend with the anti-popular policy pursued by the public administrapublished below. It was made in response to Duarte's tions controlled by the Christian Democraproposal of February 28, 1989, which called for cy. The nationalized banking system and postponing the elections to April 30 and for a cease-fire the state institutions have a monopoly on trading agricultural products and act conuntil June 1, 1989. The FMLN's proposal was rejected by stantly in opposition to the peasants' the regime, which decided hold the elections as initially interests.
This explains why already a large part of the organized cooperative farmers have
The FMLN then called an all-out transport strike starting joined UNTS [UNTS seems to have four
March 16 to support its appeal for a boycott.
times more cooperative farmers than
UNOC]. And those who remain in UNOC
Convergencia Democratica maintained its candidates, are also unhappy with Duarte's policy, but was unable to offer a credible alternative.
even though American aid is mitigating their problems a bit. UNOC is demanding a rescheduling of the debt.
• If the elections are held as scheduled on March 19, what is going to happen?
In these conditions, the polarization will increase. If ARENA wins the elections, this is going to create complications for
US policy toward our country, because behind its liberalizing mask,
ARENA remains fundamentally an extreme rightist formation.
If, on the other hand, the PDC wins, with or without fraud, the ARENA elements that control the army general staff are going to be tempted to carry off a coup d'état. If there is not a coup d'état, as president, Chavez Mena, would have an extremely narrow margin of maneuver, because ARENA already controls the Leg.
islative Assembly, the Supreme Court, the revenue court and so on.
In any case, ARENA is going to step up the war, and the rapprochement that has developed between UNOC and UNTS will pick up momentum. So, the polarization will increase and we will move toward a social explosion, the portents of which can already be seen.
For example, the victims of the September 1986 earthquake, after taking land and building new homes, decided to connect up the houses to the electricity wires and water pipes themselves. There are indications of a quasi-insurrectional situation.
For example, we as UNTS have set up permanent barricades in the street that leads to our headquarters for the sake of self-defense. We did that without authorization, after our headquarters was dynamited on February 15. The people are going
10 to be impelled to render justice themselves. *
International Viewpoint #160 • April 3, 1989 scheduled. DOCUMENT
T HE Farabundo Marti National Lib-
eration Front considers it positive that Duarte has expressed readiness to call a meeting between the government, our Front and the political parties, and that he has proclaimed himself in favor of such a meeting taking place in the shortest possible time.
That is why we think that our peace proposal should be considered in its entirety, in the same way as was done for the agreement with the parties. This meeting should be held with an open-ended agenda permitting discussion of all the problems that the other party might want to submit.
### Judging the crimes committed by the army
We think, therefore that it is necessary to demand and to stress:
• That the government specify whether there will be a discussion at this meeting of postponing the date for the elections to September 15; and whether holding these elections, with the military remaining confined to barracks, will be accompanied by an end to the repression, an electoral system with a consensus of support, reorganiration of the Central Council of Elections, formation of an body to oversee the elections and a proposal for a way that Salvadorans living abroad can vote.
• That an agreement for a definitive cease-fire be negotiated in conformity with our offer, which calls for concrete mechanisms for judging the crimes committed by members of the armed forces, reduction of the army to 12,000 men, dismantling the security bodies and formation of a new civil security body. "We are ready to discuss around any points"
• That the meeting be held in San Salvador. In order to do this, we consider necessary a unilateral cease-fire on each side and the immediate end of the repression, so as to create propitious conditions for the
If there is a cease-fire, we see no reason why the meeting should be held abroad. The capital is the best place for national agreement on peace among and in front of all Salvadorans. This would facilitate the participation of Duarte himself. Holding this meeting abroad would be a retreat from the gains made by the people in all the previous meetings.
• For our part, we repeat our readiness to discuss all the points that the government may propose.
• We consider that the meeting must have the character of negotiation designed to result in real agreements, and not just an exchange of opinions. Therefore, our delegation will be headed by two members of our General Command.
We consider it necessary for the political parties, the government, the armed forces, the deputies designated by the Legislative Assembly and the FMLN to participate in this meeting in order to follow up on the spirit and content of the meeting in Mexico.
We consider highly positive the mecha-
nism of coordination among the three branches of the state, and we think that if in the past this mechanism made it possible to abolish a constitution and get another adopted, it should today be used to establish peace by eliminating all constitutional obstacles.
An appeal to parties to withdraw candidates
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In this respect, it is clear that there are no more obstacles to postponing the elections for the necessary time and that this mechanism must function immediately to make it possible to postpone them until after March