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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=5
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Calls
for citizen participation mark 29<sup>th</sup> anniversary of Monsignor
Romero’s assassination<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>CISPES
update<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>March
31, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></font></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 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><img
width=261 height=174 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01C9B220.2F4F8D10"><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><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><b><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;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="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>Also in
this update: <o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></p>
<ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc>
<li class=MsoNormal style='color:blue;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><b><font
size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:navy;font-weight:bold'><a href="#_FMLN_commemorates_victory">FMLN
commemorates victory at Schafik’s burial place</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></b></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='color:blue;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><b><font
size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:navy;font-weight:bold'><a href="#_President-elect_Funes_receives">President-elect
Funes receives international support and congratulations</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></b></li>
</ul>
<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'>March 24 marked the 29<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the assassination of
Monsignor Oscar Arnulfo Romero. A 1993 UN report named Nationalist
Republican Alliance (ARENA) party founder Roberto D’Aubisson as the
intellectual author of the crime. On Saturday, March 21, a massive march
was followed by a vigil in the National Cathedral to celebrate the life and
teachings of the liberation theologist who spoke out against the Salvadoran
government’s brutal repression of the population in the 1970s, making a
plea that soldiers refuse to follow orders to murder civilians. <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 march and vigil were also marked by celebration of and excitement
for Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) candidate Mauricio
Funes’ victory in the presidential elections on March 15.
“This past March 15, through the will of the Salvadoran people, a true
opportunity to advance towards levels of a dignified life was presented—above
all for the poor who have not been taken seriously into account in the plans of
the governments that we have had,” said José Mario González, a
participant in the march.<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'>In a commemorative mass in Monsignor Romero’s crypt at the
National Cathedral, Father Antonio Rodríguez of the San Francisco of Assisi
Church of Mejicanos called on the population to organize and participate in
order to bring about change in the country. “We should work to end
the marginalization of children, youth, and the elderly, to put our efforts
towards change as Jesus proposed when offering a more united and just
society. [This was the] road that Monsignor Romero decided to follow and
if we don’t do it we will have failed,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><br>
“It was the people's resistance that triumphed on Sunday [March
15],” Rodríguez said. The role of an active social movement to
guide the new government was also highlighted in a press conference held by the
National Coalition for a Safe Country without Hunger (CONPHAS), a coalition of
unions, popular movement organizations, and faith-based groups who said they
“will accompany and watch over [the new government] to ensure they
complete the promises they made.” Union leader Wilfredo Berrios of
CONPHAS highlighted the importance of the popular movement in Funes’
victory, saying, “Finally, the population responded in a massive way and
chose the change we wanted so much.” CONPHAS leaders also dedicated the
electoral victory to Monsignor Romero. <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>
<h3><a name="_FMLN_commemorates_victory"></a><b><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>FMLN
commemorates victory at Schafik’s burial place<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h3>
<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'>On Saturday, March 21, FMLN leaders and activists commemorated their
presidential election victory in front of the tomb of their historic leader,
Schafik Handal. Handal’s son, Schafik Handal Jr., and wife, Tania
de Handal, were both present at the commemoration. His son dedicated the
victory to his father and all the others who fought in the struggle for a more
just <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>.
“We completed the dream of my father Schafik, but also that of many <em><i><font
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-style:normal'>compañeros</span></font></i></em>
that have always struggled for this country,” he said.<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'>Handal ran as the FMLN presidential candidate in 2004, losing the
election to the ARENA candidate, Tony Saca. Handal died in 2006 of a
heart attack suffered at <st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region>'s
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Comalapa</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">International</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Airport</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
after returning from the inauguration of Bolivian President Evo Morales. <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'>International observers and members of the FMLN denounced
interventionist statements made by U.S. State Department officials intended at
derailing Handal's 2004 campaign. Threats to put an end to remittances
sent home from Salvadorans living in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
and to begin massive deportations of Salvadorans from the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> if the FMLN won that election
are believed to have played a decisive role in ARENA’s 2004 presidential
victory. <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'>A handful of Republicans in the House of Representatives made identical
statements days before this year’s presidential election. After an
overnight response organized by grassroots solidarity groups flooded State
Department and Congressional phone lines with citizen demands for a repudiation
of the threats, the State Department and Embassy in San Salvador publicly
declared that the Republican threats did not reflect the actual position of the
Obama administration, which was eager to build a positive relationship with
whichever candidate was elected. <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'>In the graveside ceremony, both Handa's widow and and son acknowledged
the difficulties that the new FMLN administration will face. “We
must not become intoxicated with the victory. There still remains much ahead of
us. The difficult part begins on June 1<sup>st</sup> [inauguration day] because
we will have to construct a future,” said Schafik Handal Jr. Tania
de Handal called upon the Salvadoran people to pay homage to her late husband
by continuing to work for change. “If we are faithful to Schafik,
we have the obligation to look even further in the search to complete our
ideals,” she said.<font color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h3><a name="_President-elect_Funes_receives"></a><b><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>President-elect
Funes receives international support and congratulations<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h3>
<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 week following his victory, President-elect Mauricio Funes of
the FMLN party received statements of congratulation and cooperation from
heads-of-state and government officials from around the world. On
Wednesday, March 18, U.S. President Barack Obama called Funes to congratulate
him and wish the president-elect success in his upcoming five-year
administration, Funes said. U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton also
personally telephoned Funes on Friday, March 20, to congratulate him and
express her desire to work with his administration in the areas of security,
poverty, energy, and trade. Funes expressed his desire to meet with
President Obama as soon as possible to “begin a bilateral work
agenda.” He will meet Obama for the first time at April’s <st1:City
w:st="on">Summit</st1:City> of the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Americas</st1:country-region>
in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Trinidad and Tobago</st1:country-region></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'>President Hugo Chavez of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Venezuela</st1:country-region></st1:place> also released a statement
of congratulations and support for Funes on the evening he was elected.
“The undeniable and powerful victory of the brave journalist Mauricio
Funes […] consolidates the historical current that has been raised in
this first decade of the 21<sup>st</sup> century in <st1:place w:st="on">Latin
America</st1:place> and the Carribean,” read the official statement.
“Chavez congratulates President-elect Mauricio Funes, reiterating that
the union of our people is the only road to overcome the crisis that has been
unleashed from the heart of capitalism in the North.”<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'>Funes was received in Sao Paolo, Brasil, by President Luis Inacio Lula
da Silva on Friday, March 20. Lula expressed his commitment to Funes to
increase the cooperation between the two countries and to finance social
programs and infrastructure projects in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>. “To seal
our alliance, President Lula invited me to be with him all day on Monday [March
23] in a tour of the Northeast of Brasil to learn, on-the-ground, one of his
successful social projects,” Funes said.<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'>International attention on the Salvadoran presidential election has
been extremely high. Over 4,000 international observers were present in the
country for the election, including missions from the Organization of American
States (OAS) and the European Union (EU). The FMLN victory marked the end
to twenty years of rule by the far-right ARENA party and is the first time in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s
history that a leftist government will come to power. <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'>Salvadorans have received the international support and congratulations
as positive signs for diplomatic relationships in the region, and hope that the
statements given by the new <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
administration immediately before and after Funes' election will signal the
start of a new relationship based on respect for the will of the Salvadoran
people.<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>
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