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<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=5 face=Times><span style='font-size:18.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h1 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=5 face=Times><span
style='font-size:18.0pt'>US Embassy Demands FMLN Position on Foreign Policy<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<h1 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=2 color=navy
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<h1 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=2 color=navy
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<h1 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=2 color=navy
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><img
width=300 height=199 id="_x0000_i1040" src="cid:image001.jpg@01CA780D.3E28CE10"><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<h1 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=4 color=navy
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:navy;font-weight:normal'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<h1 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=2 color=navy
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;
font-weight:normal'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<h1 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=4 color=navy
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:navy;font-weight:normal'><a href="http://www.cispes.org/">CISPES</a></span></font></b><font
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-weight:normal'> update<o:p></o:p></span></font></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>December
8, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>Included in this update:<font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></font></i></b></p>
<h1><b><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><i><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:
italic'><a href="#_Anti-mining_coalition_launches">Anti-mining coalition
launches spirited advertising campaign</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><i><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:
italic'><a href="#_Reconstruction_post-Hurricane_Ida">Reconstruction
post-Hurricane Ida</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><i><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:
italic'><a href="#_ARENA_politicizes_tragedy">ARENA politicizes tragedy
left by Ida</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><i><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:
italic'><a href="#_Ex-Hermosa_Manufacturing_workers">Ex-Hermosa
Manufacturing workers win union recognition</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></li>
</ul>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent style='text-indent:0in'><font size=3 face=Times><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>On Friday, November 27, the US Embassy Charge d’Affaires
Robert Blau announced that “anti-american” statements in a speech
made by Vice President Salvador Sánchez Cerén in Caracas, Venezuela,
“could have negative effects” on US Congressional debates
concerning bilateral aid. “So I want to know, what is the true
position of the FMLN with respect to my country?” he went on.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
questioning and threats from the US Embassy came after Sánchez Cerén attended a
gathering of leftist political parties in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Caracas</st1:City></st1:place>
along with other members of the FMLN party’s leadership. At the
event, the FMLN embraced 21<sup>st</sup> Century Socialism and the call for a 5<sup>th</sup>
Socialist International. Furthermore, the party rejected the US-proposed
military bases in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Colombia</st1:country-region>
and Sánchez Cerén called for Latin American unity in confronting the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place>
empire.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:country-region w:st="on"><font size=3 face=Times><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>El Salvador</span></font></st1:country-region>’s
right wing media and the ARENA party have latched on to the statements from the
US Embassy, attempting to spread fear of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place> retaliation for Sánchez
Cerén’s statements. The strategy is a continuation of the fear
campaign used in the lead up to the March 15 presidential elections that
brought the FMLN to power, in which voters were told that an FMLN victory would
sour relations with the <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region>
and result in mass deportations and a halt to monies sent home from Salvadorans
living in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>This
reality of continued <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region>
political and economic intervention remains a serious factor for <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>
in determining its foreign policy. When questioned about Sánchez Cerén’s
statements, President Funes made a distinction, remarking, “who participated
in that encounter was the FMLN as a political party, and they have every right
to attend whichever convention they are invited to; the government did not
participate.” </span></font><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=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h1><a name="_Anti-mining_coalition_launches"></a><b><font size=3 face=Times><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Anti-mining coalition launches spirited advertising
campaign<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Times><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><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
second week of November, the National Roundtable Against Metallic Mining (the<i><span
style='font-style:italic'> Mesa) </span></i>launched a new, strategic
advertising campaign to educate people in El Salvador about the <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=496&Itemid=28">lawsuits
filed by two North American mining companies against the government</a> and to
prompt national dialogue about the destructive effects of mining.
Billboards and signs on buses and overpasses depict a map of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place> with gold blocks atop
the Northern zone; clawed hands hover over the map, reaching for the
gold. Beneath the image, the text reads: “Mining companies extort <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>!
Canadian and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
companies are each demanding hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Radio spots further explain the impacts of mining, <st1:place w:st="on">Pacific
Rim</st1:place> and Commerce Group’s lawsuits, and how the suits
override national sovereignty. The billboards and signs are currently are
located in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">San Salvador</st1:City></st1:place>
and in the zones affected by mining; the radio spots are airing nationally.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>In other
<st1:City w:st="on"><i><span style='font-style:italic'>Mesa</span></i></st1:City>
news, the case of murdered <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><i><span
style='font-style:italic'>Mesa</span></i></st1:City></st1:place> member and
prominent <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=610&Itemid=28">anti-mining
activist Marcelo Rivera</a> continues to draw international attention. During a
mid-November trip to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>, U.S. Representative Jim McGovern
(D-MA) met with members of the Funes Administration, the National Civilian
Police (PNC), and the Attorney General to express concern over the status of
Marcelo’s case, as well as the case of <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=621&Itemid=28">murdered
Teamster organizer Gilberto Soto</a>, and other court cases involving suspected
political violence. Rep. McGovern encouraged further investigation into
the political motives of these cases to demonstrate a solid commitment to
ending impunity 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></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h1><a name="_Reconstruction_post-Hurricane_Ida"></a><b><font size=3
face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Reconstruction post-Hurricane Ida<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Just
over four weeks since <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=35&Itemid=28">Hurricane
Ida’s torrential rains</a> and left 198 dead, the true extent of the
damage is still being assessed. The floods and mudslides caused by the
storm destroyed 638 homes and left another <st1:metricconverter
ProductID="1,250 in" w:st="on">1,250 in</st1:metricconverter> extremely high
risk. The country’s infrastructure was also hit hard, with 47
bridges and 70 major thoroughfares still in need of major repairs. Many
communities’ water distribution systems were also destroyed. Final
costs of the damages will be determined on December 4 when the Latin American
and Caribbean Economic Commission (CEPAL) presents a diagnostic report to the
government. Minister of the Interior Humberto Centeno and Minister of
Public Works Gerson Martínez explained that the upcoming reconstruction phase
will tackle infrastructure and community planning problems that languished
under past administrations.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
government has received over $10 million in clothes, food, supplies, and cash
donations from the international community, as well as brigades of Cuban
doctors and Venezuelan engineers. The administration of this
international aid has been characterized by a heightened level of
transparency. Unlike the administrations who governed during past natural
disasters, Funes’ cabinet has implemented a public auditing system to
report the amounts of aid and how the funds are distributed or spent. The Funes
Administration is now soliciting international cooperation for the
country’s reconstruction efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h1><a name="_ARENA_politicizes_tragedy"></a><b><font size=3 face=Times><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>ARENA politicizes tragedy left by Ida<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>ARENA’s
legislative fraction has petitioned the National Assembly to censure Minister
of the Interior, Humberto Centeno, for negligence in his response to the
disaster caused by Hurricane Ida. Many analysts have questioned whether
ARENA’s legislative petition is anything more than retaliation for Centeno’s
efforts to expose corruption within previous administrations. On October
1, Centeno presented corruption charges against two former Ministers of the
Interior—both from ARENA administrations. No other institutions
have criticized Centeno’s management of the emergency.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>On
November 17, protesters claiming to be from affected zones shut down the avenue
in front of the Ministry of the Interior, demanding aid for their
communities. However, when journalists asked them what zones they were
from, none of the protesters were able to name an affected area. Social
movement leaders have accused ARENA of mobilizing and paying
“phony” demonstrators, who were not actually from affected areas.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h1><a name="_Ex-Hermosa_Manufacturing_workers"></a><b><font size=3 face=Times><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Ex-Hermosa Manufacturing workers win union recognition<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Times><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><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>More
than five years after being fired and blacklisted for organizing a union to
address workplace abuses and unpaid wages [link to action alert with background
on case], the former workers at the Hermosa Manufacturing textile <i><span
style='font-style:italic'>maquila</span></i> were officially recognized as a
union by the Ministry of Labor this past weekend. On November 29, the
founding General Assembly of the Textile Workers Union (SITRASACOSI) celebrated
its constitution and elected a provisional Board of Directors. Estela
Ramirez, newly-elected union president, expressed the groups’
satisfaction at finally achieving legal union recognition. “This
will be a powerful new tool as we continue in our struggle for the unpaid wages
and benefits that we are owed,” she declared.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 color=navy face=Times><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></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>
<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>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Times><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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