<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" 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=iso-8859-1">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]--><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="City"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="country-region"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
h3
{margin-top:12.0pt;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
page-break-after:avoid;
font-size:13.0pt;
font-family:Arial;}
p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;
font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic;}
p.MsoBodyText2, li.MsoBodyText2, div.MsoBodyText2
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;
font-weight:bold;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:796679222;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:103547884 -1894628232 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-start-at:4;
mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:-;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
-->
</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=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Attorney
General’s office announces capture of suspects in assassination of FMLN
Mayor<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>April 30, 2008<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><img width=343
height=277 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image002.jpg@01C8AAAD.6F0A28A0"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-style:italic'>Also in this update:<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><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><span style='font-weight:bold'><a
href="#_Social_movement_rejects">Social movement rejects Association Agreement
with the European Union</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><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><span style='font-weight:bold'><a
href="#_Rising_bus_fares">Rising bus fares demonstrate government’s unwillingness
to address economic crisis</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>In the early dawn hours of April 14, <st1:country-region w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:country-region>’s National Civilian Police (PNC) arrested
Isabel Cortés and Marvin Antonio Rodriguez and charged them with
January’s double murder of Wilber Funes, mayor of the town of <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alegría</st1:place></st1:City>, and municipal
employee Zulma Rivera. Cortés is a member of the Alegría city council who was
elected along with Funes on the FMLN party ticket in 2006.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>After three months of silence regarding the investigation into the
assassinations, the Attorney General’s office and the PNC put forward
their explanation of the crimes, attributing the murders to personal
differences between the mayor and Cortés. The prosecutor in charge of the case,
René Peña, declared that “we can say with certainty that there was not a
political motive,” as had been originally suspected.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Sigfrido Reyes, FMLN spokesman, warned that “in no way are we
going permit [these arrests] to become a smokescreen that serves as cover for
the true perpetrators of this deed.” Funes and Rivera were killed on
January 9 when, en route to monitor progress on a public works project, they
pulled over to the side of a rural road to help another motorist, who then shot
them and fled.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The FMLN has demanded a thorough investigation, as well as proof that
the two captured suspects are responsible for the murders of Funes and Rivera.
CISPES has also expressed concern about lack of government investigation into
possible political violence in recent years, and will be investigating the
conduct of the National Civilian Police and the U.S.-funded International Law
Enforcement Academy (ILEA) during an upcoming delegation to El Salvador in June
(go <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=363&Itemid=51">here</a>
to find out more.)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<h3><a name="_Social_movement_rejects"></a><b><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Social
movement rejects Association Agreement with the European Union<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h3>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Various social and labor organizations, including the Salvadoran Union
Front (FSS) and the Union Confederation of Salvadoran Workers (CSTS), have
recently issued declarations in opposition to the proposed “Association
Agreement” between the European Union and the Central American countries.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>These organizations consider the Association Agreement (known as <st1:City
w:st="on"><i><span style='font-style:italic'>ADA</span></i></st1:City> in Central
America) to be a free trade agreement similar to the CAFTA agreement between
Central American and the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region></st1:place>. As with CAFTA, the Association
Agreement with the European Union is being negotiated without the input or
participation of the public in <st1:place w:st="on">Central America</st1:place>.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Based on <st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region>’s
preliminary experience with CAFTA, which has lead to negative effects such as
deteriorating food sovereignty, a rising trade deficit, and increasing poverty,
social organizations warn that the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">ADA</st1:place></st1:City>
will exacerbate poverty, corruption, and the dependency of the Central American
countries. During the 3<sup>rd</sup> round of negotiations in mid-April, groups
marched in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Salvador</st1:place></st1:City>
to protest the potential impacts of the agreement.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The proposed Association Agreement has three main components: trade,
cooperation, and political dialogue. Under this agreement, the E.U. is offering
an increase of tariff-free products for Central American exports through its General
System of Preferences (GSP), which <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region> has been part of for
years. However, this status could be revoked if <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region> fails to ratify
Convention 87 of the International Labor Organization, nullifying any potential
benefits of the agreement. In general, Salvadoran organizations see <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">ADA</st1:place></st1:City> as an extension of
CAFTA and have pledged to continue opposing the signing of such an agreement.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<h3><a name="_Rising_bus_fares"></a><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Rising bus fares
demonstrate government’s unwillingness to address economic crisis<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h3>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Faced with the threat of an increase in public bus fares from $.25 to
$.35 Salvadorans continue to express their frustration with the central
government’s inability to resolve the ongoing conflict with the transportation
sector.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>For several weeks, the transportation sector has demanded from the
right wing government of ARENA to approve a law increasing the public bus fare,
and to enter into negotiations about 16 demands they have put on the table. To
put pressure on the central government, Genaro Ramirez, president of the
Association of Salvadoran Bus Owners (AEAS) and former candidate for vice
president of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>
for the National Conciliation Party (PCN), called for a national work stoppage
by bus companies on April 16. The most affected areas were Santa Tecla, Apopa,
and Soyapango, among others. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The economic crisis, which is being experienced daily by the Salvadoran
population, would be aggravated by an increase in the bus fares. This comes as
the third rise in the last few years; if approved it would make the Salvadoran
bus fare the highest fare in <st1:place w:st="on">Central America</st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>At $.35 per trip, the average commuter would spend $41 each month on
bus fares. With the monthly minimum wage stuck at $155, this leaves few
resources for the average working family to pay for housing and food. However,
the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Vice-ministry</st1:PlaceType>
of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Transportation</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> has
referred to the proposed fare hike as the only viable option that bus companies
have for dealing with the high price of gasoline. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The government’s willingness to give in to the demands of the
transportation industry has been strongly criticized by various sectors of the
population. The government has not only favored the transportation associations
with a subsidy over other the sectors that demanded the same benefits (such as
the independent bakers association), but it also has shown its incapacity to negotiate
an agreement with the transportation sector or to provide an alternative to
Salvadorans families, who continue to bear the burden of rising gasoline prices.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoBodyText><b><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></i></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>