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<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=ES-SV
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:italic'>(Vaya aquí para <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=416&Itemid=29">comunicado
en español</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=ES-SV style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b><font size=4 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>U.S.</span></font></b></st1:place></st1:country-region><b><font
size=4 face=Arial><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:
bold'> Embassy Admits to Intervention in 2004 Salvadoran Presidential Elections<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><i><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic'>Fact-Finding Delegation Pledges to Hold Current Ambassador
Glazer to Non-Interventionist Commitment for 2009<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><i><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:italic'>July
10, 2008<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><i><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:italic'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-style:italic'>Contact: Burke Stansbury – 202 521
2510 ext. 205 or <a href="mailto:burke@cispes.org">burke@cispes.org</a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-style:italic'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>During a recent heated meeting at the US Embassy in <st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region>, Ambassador Charles Glazer admitted
to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
intervention in the 2004 Salvadoran Presidential Elections. The meeting on
June 27 was requested by a group of 12 <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> citizens, including
professors, students, journalists and community activists who were taking part
in a 10-day delegation organized by the Committee in Solidarity with the People
of El Salvador (CISPES).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>In their meeting with the Ambassador, the group focused
specifically on the history of <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
political and military intervention in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>. They cited statements
made by US State Department officials denouncing. the leftist Farabundo Marti
Liberation Front (FMLN) party during the 2004 presidential campaign. The
delegates also referenced legislation put forward in Congress by Rep. Tom
Tancredo (R-CO) that threatened to cut off remittances sent by Salvadorans in
the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> to their families
in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>
should the FMLN win. “The U.S. Embassy in <st1:country-region w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:country-region> never countered this absurd threat or clarified
the impossibility of such legislation being passed,” said Rosa Lozano, a
delegate from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">D.C.</st1:State></st1:place> “Ultimately, such intervention
helped turn a close race for the presidency into a decisive victory for the
right-wing National Republican Alliance (ARENA) party.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>When asked directly if the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> government had intervened in
the 2004 presidential elections on behalf of the ARENA party, Glazer replied in
the affirmative. When asked if such intervention would occur again, he said
“no”. “We believe that this is the first time that a
representative of the Bush Administration has taken responsibility for the
manipulative interference that took place during the 2004 presidential campaign,”
said Burke Stansbury, Executive Director of CISPES and a participant in the
meeting with the ambassador. “It’s really quite remarkable; CISPES
and others have been crying foul since State Department intervention began in
mid-2003 but the Embassy has always denied it played a role in President
Saca’s victory,” continued Stansbury. “But admitting fault
last time is not enough. We will continue to demand that no such intervention
occurs, not in 2009 nor ever again.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>During the meeting, the Embassy labor attaché claimed that
the possibility of fraud in the 2009 would be diminished because of the active
monitoring of various international organizations and emphasized the role to be
played by the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic
Institute (NDI), both subsections of the National Endowment of Democracy
(NED). When challenged about the partisan nature of these quasi-non
governmental organizations, as well as accusations that the IRI and NDI have
played an interventionist role in other Latin American elections, the Embassy
representative admitted that there was controversy and doubts surrounding the
NED. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>“In 2007, the IRI – headed by Republican
presidential candidate John McCain – presented President Saca with its
‘Freedom Award’, showing its clear ideological preference in the
polarized Salvadoran political process,” said Laura Embree-Lowry, a
member of the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Boston</st1:place></st1:City>
chapter of CISPES and a participant in the Embassy meeting. “We believe
that the presence of partisan groups like the IRI and NDI will in fact be
counterproductive to the goal of the Salvadoran people, which is to hold free
and fair elections in 2009.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The CISPES delegation also expressed concern about the
aggressive conduct of Ambassador Glazer during their brief meeting. “Mr.
Glazer arrived with the idea of attacking our delegation and rudely countering
everything we put forward, to the point of being verbally abusive to at least
two of the delegates,” said Andrew Kafel, a member of the delegation from
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">New York</st1:State></st1:place>.
“Whether or not the Ambassador agrees with the concerns we laid out about
potential <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
intervention, he has a duty as a public official to hear us out in a respectful
manner,” continued Kafel. “If this is how we as <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> citizens are treated, we can
only imagine how the Ambassador interacts with Salvadorans. We hope that in
the future the State Department will better orient their representatives about
how to respectfully dialogue with those holding a differing opinion.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The group plans to issue an extensive report of the
information gathered during the June CISPES fact-finding delegation, including
an analysis of the current human rights situation, information about the
potential of fraud and irregularities in the 2009 elections, and concerns about
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
involvement in the process. The report will be release at the end of July.
For more information go to <a href="http://www.cispes.org/">www.cispes.org</a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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