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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Thank you to everyone who called the U.S. State Department
and the U.S. Embassy. Your voices were heard! <a
href="http://www.c-span.org/cspanFLVPop.aspx?src=15days/e031309_state2.flv&s=780.913&e=860.826&live=N&popup=Y">Watch
this video</a> of Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
Thomas Shannon’s public declaration that “We will work with
whomever the Salvadoran people elect.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>During Election Day on Sunday, please visit the blog for
media coverage, analysis and direct reports from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>: <a
href="http://cispes.org/09electionsblog"
title="http://cispes.org/09electionsblog">http://cispes.org/09electionsblog</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><em><i><font size=2 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>go to our webpage <a
href="http://www.cispes.org" title="http://www.cispes.org">www.cispes.org</a>
if you're having trouble reading this email</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
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size=2><span lang=ES-SV style='font-size:10.0pt'> | 202 521-2510| </span></font><font
size=2><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><a
href="http://lists.people-link.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/cispes-ern"
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lang=ES-SV><span
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size=2><span lang=ES-SV style='font-size:10.0pt'>| suscribir </span></font><font
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español</span></span></a></span></font><span lang=ES-SV><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p><b><font size=1 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-weight:bold'><img border=0 width=684 height=105 id="_x0000_i1025"
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font-family:Verdana'><img border=0 width=15 height=5 id="_x0000_i1026"
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=5
face=Arial><span style='font-size:17.5pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Public
Pressure for <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
Neutrality Statement Succeeds after Republican Congressional Representatives
Intervene in Salvadoran Election<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>FMLN
Appears Poised for Victory on Eve of March 15 Election<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Check out updates throughout election day
at </span></font></b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'><a
href="http://cispes.org/09electionsblog"
title="http://cispes.org/09electionsblog">http://cispes.org/09electionsblog</a><b><span
style='font-weight:bold'> <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;font-weight:bold'>Also
check out Adam Kufeld’s Photodocumentary Project:</span></font></b><b><font
size=5 color=navy face=Garamond><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:
Garamond;color:navy;font-weight:bold'> </span></font></b><font size=2
face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><a
href="http://www.elsalvadorelections2009.org/"
title="http://www.elsalvadorelections2009.org/">http://www.elsalvadorelections2009.org/</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;
color:blue;font-weight:bold'><img border=0 width=349 height=232
id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:image003.jpg@01C9A4E9.67789220"><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><font size=3 color=blue face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue;font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><font size=3 color=blue face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue;font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><font size=3 color=blue face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue;font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic'>Also in this update:<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span
class=MsoHyperlink><font size=3 color=blue face=Symbol><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol;text-decoration:none'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></font></span></span></font></span><![endif]><b><font size=3
color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy;font-weight:bold'><a href="#FMLN#FMLN" title="#FMLN">FMLN closes
presidential campaign with massive carnival,</a></span></font></b><span
class=MsoHyperlink><u><font color=blue><o:p></o:p></font></u></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;text-indent:.25in'><span
class=MsoHyperlink><b><u><font size=3 color=blue face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><a
href="#FMLN#FMLN" title="#FMLN">underscores need to defend against fraud</a></span></font></u></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4'><![if !supportLists]><font
size=3 color=blue face=Symbol><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Symbol;
color:blue'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><b><font size=3 color=navy
face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;
font-weight:bold'><a href="#Nicaragua#Nicaragua" title="#Nicaragua">Nicaraguans
and Hondurans bussed into Antiguo Cuscatlán</a></span></font></b><b><font
size=3 color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;
color:blue;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4'><![if !supportLists]><font
size=3 color=blue face=Symbol><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Symbol;
color:blue'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><b><font size=3 color=navy
face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;
font-weight:bold'><a href="#FTA#FTA" title="#FTA">Salvadorans march against
Free Trade Agreement with Europe</a></span></font></b><b><font size=3
color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;
color:blue;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4'><![if !supportLists]><font
size=3 color=blue face=Symbol><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Symbol;
color:blue'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><b><font size=3 color=navy
face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;
font-weight:bold'><a href="#denounce#denounce" title="#denounce">ARENA
denounces CISPES</a></span></font></b><b><font size=3 color=blue face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><br>
On Wednesday, March 11 — just four days before El Salvador's historic
election for president and vice-president — 5 Republican Congressmen
gave speeches on the floor of the House of Representatives threatening that
Salvadorans living in the U.S. would lose their immigration status and be
outlawed from sending money home to their families if voters in El Salvador
elect the opposition FMLN party's candidate on Sunday. "Those
monies that are coming from here to there I am confident will be cut, and I
hope the people of El Salvador are aware of that because it will have a
tremendous impact on individuals and their economy,” stated Rep. Dan
Burton (R-IN). Similar threats by <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> officials were made during
the 2004 Salvadoran presidential campaign. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The Republicans’ statements were on the front pages
of the widest circulating daily newspapers on the morning of Thursday, March
12, the day after the presidential and vice-presidential campaigns legally
closed, leaving the FMLN unable to respond to the threats CISPES, along
with many partner organizations around the country, mobilized its activists
in the U.S. to demand public statements of neutrality from the State
Department in Washington and the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador.<br>
<br>
After receiving what it referred to as an “inundation” of phone
calls from citizens around the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
on Thursday the 12th, the State department released a statement of neutrality,
saying “The U.S. government reiterates its official position that it
does not support either candidate in the upcoming presidential election in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>
on March 15th… The separation of powers and freedoms in the <st1:country-region
w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> allows the debate in which
members of the U.S. Legislature have expressed their opinions, which do not
necessarily reflect the official position of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>.” Later that
day, the U.S. Embassy in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place> also released a statement saying,
“The U.S. Government will respect the will of the Salvadoran people and
will seek to work constructively with whoever wins that election.”<br>
<br>
Then the next morning, Friday March 13, Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) stated,
“As Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, I am confident
that neither TPS [temporary immigration status granted to Salvadorans in the
U.S.] nor the right to receive remittances from family in the United States
will be affected by the outcome of the election, despite what some of my
colleagues in Congress have said.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>At a press briefing later that day, Thomas Shannon, the
State Department’s top diplomat for Latin America stated, “We are
committed to free and fair elections in El Salvador. And we've also made it very
clear that we will work with whomever the Salvadoran people elect.” All
of these statements of neutrality were subsequently covered in the Salvadoran
media, and come on the heels of a March 5 letter signed by 33 members of
Congress calling for the Obama administration to take just such a position.
That letter was published in its entirety in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s highest-circulation
newspaper, <i><span style='font-style:italic'>La Prensa Gráfica</span></i>,
on March 14.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><a name=FMLN><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>FMLN closes presidential
campaign with massive carnival, underscores need to defend against fraud</span></font></b></a><b><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 color=blue face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>On Saturday, March 7, the FMLN (Farabundo Martí National
Liberation Front) held a massive carnival to celebrate the closing of the
presidential campaign and the upcoming election on March 15<sup>th</sup>.
Over 300,000 supporters converged on the Alameda Juan Pablo II in a sea of
red to listen to speakers, enjoy music, and fill the area with chants
vocalizing their support for FMLN presidential candidate Mauricio Funes and
vice-presidential candidate Salvador Sanchez Cerén. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Caravans of people arrived from all over the country to
join in the celebration that was scheduled to start at 4 PM, though people
began arriving hours earlier. As the sun set, fireworks lit up the sky as the
crowd raised their fists and sang “El Pueblo Unido Jamas Será
Vencido” (“The People United Will Never Be Defeated”).
Saturday’s festivities highlight the popular support for the FMLN
presidential “formula,” which is leading in the polls and
continuing to build alliances and receive endorsements from outside the
party.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Sanchez Cerén addressed the women in the crowd,
anticipating Sunday’s celebration of International Women’s Day
and encouraging all women to be protagonists of change in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>. The carnival
concluded with a speech by Funes, in which the candidate called for a massive
turnout on Election Day and for everyone to take responsibility to defend the
victory. He expressed concern about the potential for fraud on March 15
and urged those present to be vigilant.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The governing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA)
closed its campaign the next day at the Estadio Cuscatlán, gathering 70,000
people and encouraging them to protect <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place> from “the
reds.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>In the weeks and months leading-up to the March 15<sup>th</sup>
presidential election, international observers from the Organization of
American States (OAS) and independent non-governmental organizations have
expressed concern over the potential for irregularities. The OAS report of
January’s municipal and legislative elections stressed the failure of
the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to make the Electoral Registry available
in its entirety to all political parties. To date, the FMLN has not had
access to this list of all eligible voters, which has prevented investigation
into numerous reports of irregularities in the Registry.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><a name=Nicaragua><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Nicaraguans and
Hondurans bussed into Antiguo Cuscatlán</span></font></b></a><b><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>On Monday, March 9, residents of Antiguo Cuscatlán in the
department of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">San Salvador</st1:City></st1:place>
reported the presence of buses filled with Nicaraguans and Hondurans who were
being given Salvadoran ID cards (DUIs), presumably to vote in the March 15<sup>th</sup>
presidential election. International observers affiliated with the Salvadoran
Foundation for Local Development and Democracy (FUNDASPAD) responded to the
citizen denouncement and found two buses parked in front of the City Hall
that were full of people who hid when the observers approached. The observers
noted that the bus passengers spoke with Honduran and Nicaraguan accents.
Nearby business owners reported that there were many other buses that had
come and gone during the day.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The citizen denouncement reported that the foreigners were
being taken to the fourth floor of the City Hall parking garage and given
false DUIs. An individual wearing an ARENA shirt who spoke on the
condition of anonymity told journalists that buses had been arriving all day
from the East and the passengers were being taken to the parking garage for a
meeting about the March 15<sup>th</sup> presidential election. The FUNDASPAD
observers saw a line of individuals leaving the City Hall parking garage and
rapidly returning to the buses.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>In the days before the January 18<sup>th</sup> municipal
and legislative elections, Nicaraguan and Honduran individuals with
Salvadoran DUIs were detained in route to Voting Centers in Morazán, La
Unión, and San Miguel. An audit of the Electoral Registry conducted by
the Organization of American States (OAS) in December of 2007 found numerous
irregularities, including the presence of deceased people and people who had
migrated to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region></st1:place>. The OAS provided
instructions for purging the Electoral Registry that the TSE never
completed. This, along with the reports of foreigners with DUIs, and
the fact that a private company produces DUIs, has raised the concern of many
International Observers about the potential for fraud in the March 15<sup>th</sup>
presidential election.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><a name=FTA><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Salvadorans march
against Free Trade Agreement with </span></font></b></a><st1:place w:st="on"><b><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Europe</span></font></b></st1:place><b><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>One Tuesday, March 10, families participated in a march
against the Free Trade Agreement between Central America and Europe (<st1:City
w:st="on">AdA</st1:City>) that is currently being negotiated between the
European Union and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Many of the signs being
carried also called for a repeal of the Central American Free Trade Agreement
with the US (CAFTA). A statement outlining ten reasons to be opposed to
the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">AdA</st1:City></st1:place> was
circulated. Amongst the reasons were that the treaty would increase the
gap between the wealthy and poor, privatize public services, and legalize the
depletion of biodiversity and natural resources. The march, organized
by a group called Red Sinte Techan, concluded at the Legislative Assembly,
where a statement outlining the group's position was delivered.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>One of the participants of the march, an 80-year old man who
identified himself as Germán, said, “The assets [of El Salvador] are
for us…we cannot just endure while they eat well and fill their pockets
with money.” Many of the marchers have never had a suitable
home. Mirna Esperanza Herrera, from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Santa Ana</st1:City></st1:place>, told reporters she had always
lived along the railroad tracks.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">AdA</st1:City></st1:place>
is very similar to CAFTA in that it would remove import taxes from most goods
and allow private companies to sue governments for lost investments.
Many economists have faulted CAFTA for <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s economic
crisis and the downfall of its agricultural industry. Economist Raul
Moreno has also pointed out the danger of CAFTA’s provision that allows
companies to sue governments for lost investments. In 2008, a <st1:country-region
w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> subsidiary of the Canadian-based Pacific
Rim mining company filed a Notice of Intent (NOI) to sue <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place> for lost investments
on a mining project in Cabañas. The lawsuit, which could be filed any
day now that the NOI waiting period has expired, would be the first lawsuit
of its type for the country and could potentially cost the government
millions of dollars.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><a name=denounce><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Right wing
denounces CISPES</span></font></b></a><b><font face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>A March 6 article by the EFE wire service reports that an
ARENA party representative in <st1:City w:st="on">Miami</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Florida</st1:State>, José Alfredo Ávila, criticized CISPES for its
support of U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva's March 5 letter in support of free and
fair elections in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Thirty-three members of the
United States Congress signed the document that asked President Barack Obama
to publicly state his administration's position of neutrality and respect for
the will of the Salvadoran voters.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Ávila dismissed the lawmakers' call for <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> neutrality, saying
“they [CISPES] were the ones who came up with this idea for the letter
and asked the Members of Congress for their support.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>ARENA rejects the premise that the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> has intervened in
past elections, and on these grounds views the Congressional letter as
“an insult.” The ARENA spokesman said that the relationship
between the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>
and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>
has “never” produced any intervention in the internal affairs of
either country. However, the Congressional letter was accompanied by
extensive documentation of interventionist statements and threats made by
high-ranking <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
officials during <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s 2004 presidential campaign. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>In their letter, the Members of Congress stated their own
commitment to “honoring and respecting the will of the Salvadoran
people when they go to the polls on March 15,” and affirmed that they
look forward to working toward a positive relationship with whichever party
is elected on Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=style3><b><font size=5 color=red face=Garamond><span
style='font-size:18.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
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</span></font><span class=style21><font size=2 color=white><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'>© 2008 CISPES - The Committee in Solidarity with the
People of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place></span></font></span><font
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