<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceType"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceName"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="country-region"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Book Antiqua";
panose-1:2 4 6 2 5 3 5 3 3 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:Arial;
color:navy;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua";
font-weight:bold'>FMLN Demands Transparency and a Sustainable Fiscal Policy for
Debt<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>April
18, 2007<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>CISPES
Update<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua";font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><font
size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>El
Salvador</span></font></st1:country-region></st1:place><font
face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>’s debt
crisis has been getting much attention recently, with the rightwing ARENA on a major
campaign to sway public opinion in favor of more international loans despite
the already precariously high level of indebtedness ARENA has burdened the
Salvadoran people with. On March 15, the FMLN asserted its power in
the Legislative Assembly with a unified vote against a loan package of $297
million, stopping the IMF loan. The motion was applauded by majority of
the Salvadoran population according to public opinion surveys.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>The FMLN has defended their position in a
national “Transparency Campaign” to explain that the party supports
development, but that it should be financed by taxing <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s elite instead
of burdening the poor with more loans. The party is also demanding that
the ARENA government undergo audits of loans dating back to 1991, and that they
use the funding that has already been approved for development, and that they
return stolen state funds. Gerson Martinez, FMLN deputy in the Committee
on Internal Revenue in the Assembly, said about the issue that, “to this day
they have not reintegrated a dime to the Public Treasury nor to the General
budget of the nation…we could recuperate more than one billion dollars.
There would be not need to further indebt the country.”<b><span
style='font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>ARENA has continued its attacks on the FMLN,
calling the party “anti-development”; however, the FMLN maintains
its position and is committed to voting against more loans until certain
conditions have been met. Security Minister Rene Figueroa said this week
that ARENA will continue with their “media offensive” against the
FMLN so that they approve the loans. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua";font-weight:bold'>Health Minister under
investigation for corruption<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>While ARENA leaders insist on the need for
more loans, its public officials are coming under investigation for corruption
and mismanagement of international loans. <b><span style='font-weight:bold'> </span></b>Currently<b><span
style='font-weight:bold'> </span></b>a high-profile case is targeting the
Ministry of Health, led by Minister Guillermo Maza. In June 2003 the
Legislative Assembly – with the support of the FMLN – approved a
$172 million loan from the World Bank for the repairs to seven national
hospitals. To this day, none of the seven projects have been completed and in
some cases the repairs have not even begun.<s><o:p></o:p></s></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>Despite this scandal for deviation and
misuse of funds, Maza continues to deny irregularities in his ministry and is
actually requesting the state for more funding for projects dating back to
2001. Maza tried to defend himself by stating that there is not enough money
for the construction and rehabilitation of the public hospital system.
However, the Ministry did have enough funds for $92,000 worth of renovations to
Maza’s personal office, with almost $30,000 spent on carpeting and
curtains. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>Additionally, Maza is under investigation
for using donated equipment in his private office, such as a CAT-scan machine
donated back in 2003. As a result, he has left the country without access
to this equipment in the public healthcare system. All other Central American
public hospitals have a minimum of two CAT-scan machines. The FMLN
continues to push for a Legislative investigation into the corruption.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua";font-weight:bold'>FBI in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>Security Minister Rene Figueroa announced
this week that <st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region>
will be the home of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Transnational</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Anti-Gang</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>,
which will open in May with the objective of sharing information between
participating countries in order to control gang activity.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>The center will have participants from
police departments from all the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
cities with a high presence of Salvadoran gangs, plus the FBI and Mexican,
Honduran, Salvadoran and Guatemalan police.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>Last weekend there was a presidential summit
in southern <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region> to
discuss the Plan Puebla <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Panama</st1:country-region></st1:place>,
a regional “development” project aimed at laying the infrastructure
for transnational corporations to gain maximum profit from free trade
deals. At the summit, Saca announced his interest in the FBI taking a
more active policing role in <st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region>,
and he met with the presidents of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Honduras</st1:country-region>, and <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Guatemala</st1:country-region> to discuss regional anti-crime work
that they might present to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
government. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua";font-weight:bold'>Preparations for May
Day/International Workers’ Rights Day<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>The Salvadoran Union Front (FSS) held a
press conference last week calling for all unions, workers, and social movement
to participated together in the annual May 1 International Worker’s Day
march which will be held in San Salvador. The unions and participants
will be denouncing cases of attacks on unions, demanding the government respect
the right to organize, and denouncing all efforts of the Saca government to
privatize water and healthcare. CISPES will be present on May 1 with a
solidarity delegation in support of workers’ rights and organizing in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>
and around the world.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua";font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></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>
</div>
</body>
</html>