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<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=5 color=navy face=Times><span style='font-size:
18.0pt;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>
<h1 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=5
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Funes
and Obama: Historic First Meeting at the White House<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=4 color=navy
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:navy;font-weight:normal'><img width=264 height=148 id="_x0000_i1029"
src="cid:image002.jpg@01CAC137.EB6642B0"><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"'>March
11, 2010<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";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 New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3'><i><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-style:italic'><a href="#_Funes_Administration_Unveils">Funes
Administration Unveils New Security Plans</a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></i></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3'><i><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-style:italic'><a href="#_U.S._Clamors_for">U.S. Clamors for Influence
in Salvadoran Security Policies</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3'><i><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-style:italic'><a href="#_President_Lula_Visits">President Lula Visits
El Salvador</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></li>
</ul>
<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 New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>On Monday, March 8 President Mauricio
Funes met for the first time with his <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
counterpart in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">DC</st1:State></st1:place>. The two heads of state spoke behind
closed doors for an hour before making a <a
href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-obama-and-president-funes-el-salvador-after-meeting">joint
public statement</a> from the White House. Their discussion focused primarily
on immigration policy, regional security and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s economy. This
meeting was seen as an important step in rejecting the notion publicized by the
Salvadoran right-wing that Funes – the first president of the leftist party
Farabundo Martí Front for National Liberation (FMLN) – would be unable to
maintain good diplomatic relations with the U.S., thereby jeopardizing the
lives of the Salvadorans living in the U.S. and the millions of dollars of remittances
sent to support family members in El Salvador. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Immigration has been the highest foreign
policy priority of President Funes, given the 2 million plus Salvadorans who
reside in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
In his remarks Funes outlined the relationship that <st1:country-region w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:country-region>’s economy has to the <st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> immigration issue, stating that <st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region> “needs to generate work
opportunities in order to be able to keep people back in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
And as they have better job generation, and people have better health and
education, people will be able to remain in countries and have a better
life.” The Salvadoran president also made a specific request for Obama
to extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) by an additional 15 months, currently
due to expire in September 2010. TPS has provided temporary legal residency to
over 200,000 Salvadorans living in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>;
it has also consistently been used by prior <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
administrations as a political tool to boost the right-wing Nationalist
Republican Alliance (ARENA) party during electoral campaigns in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>On the topic of security in Central
America, the two presidents concurred that poverty, marginalization, and social
exclusion are the root causes of regional drug trafficking and organized crime.
Obama remarked that, “The security challenges obviously are connected to
the economic challenges within the region and we want to be supportive not only
in addressing the symptoms that we see in terms of crime, but also the root
causes.” Although these comments represent a break from previous <st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> and Salvadoran presidents who often
addressed regional crime without contextualizing the issue as entrenched within
economic realities, no changes were discussed with respect to the repressive
policing strategies and policies currently employed by the <st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> 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;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h1><a name="_Funes_Administration_Unveils"></a><b><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Funes
Administration Unveils New Security Plans <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";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;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>In late February, President Funes and the
Minister of Public Security Manuel Melgar revealed new policies and initiatives
to address the country’s high levels of violence and crime, the legacy of
widespread poverty and institutional impunity fostered by decades of right-wing
party governance. At the close of 2009, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region> led the hemisphere in homicides
per capita and the alarming trend has continued into 2010. Among the new
security policies are a number of changes designed to strengthen the National
Civilian Police (PNC), a notoriously under-equipped body, severely lacking the capacity
and training to investigate crimes effectively. As of March 15, 66% of the PNC
will be housed in barracks provided by the Armed Forces where agents will
receive meals and transportation to their assignments – important employment
benefits that will decrease officers’ susceptibility to corruption. Additionally,
basic police resources like patrol cars, radios, bullet-proof vests, firearms,
and computers are to be purchased for the PNC, along with more training in
forensic investigative techniques for agents.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The “Zero Corruption” plan
will strengthen the investigative capacity of the PNC’s independent
Inspector General – the institution charged with prosecuting high and low-ranking
police officials for corruption – which has been recently revitalized by newly-appointed
director Zaira Navas. The government also plans to implement the successful
model used to convert the Distrito Italia neighborhood in Tonacatepeque
municipality from one of the most violent areas to a homicide-free zone for the
past three months. The initiative takes a holistic approach to crime and
violence reduction, incorporating neighborhood clean-ups and social programs
such as sports activities for youth, with a heightened law enforcement presence
in the community. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Violence and crime are deeply political
issues in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>;
it is the country’s poor communities that bear the brunt of high murder,
assault, and extortion rates. In recognition of this reality, the Funes Administration’s
new security policies are designed to complement the government’s social
investment projects, such as the “House for All” and the student
uniform programs. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Human Rights Ombudsman, the
country’s Catholic Archbishop, and numerous foreign diplomats have lauded
the new security initiatives. To date, the government has procured $28.4
million of the $80 million required to implement the new plans.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h1><a name="_U.S._Clamors_for"></a><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on"><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman"'>U.S.</span></font></b></st1:place></st1:country-region><font
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>
Clamors for Influence in Salvadoran Security Policies<o:p></o:p></span></font></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";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;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Several of <st1:country-region w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:country-region>’s new security initiatives received swift
offers of aid from the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>
government, augmenting its already large security and military influence and
presence in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
Following the Legislative Assembly decision to create a Call Monitoring Center
for court-ordered phone taps to investigate murder, extortion, and kidnapping cases,
the U.S. offered $1 million for the center’s construction, equipment, and
personnel training. In late February, the National Council on Public Security
(CNSP) announced plans to install Municipal Violence Observatories that will be
operated by local governments in municipalities with the highest crime rates.
These observatories will provide detailed statistics on crimes committed within
the municipalities and be used by both the Ministry of Security and the
municipal government to implement prevention programs and other security
policies, as well as adjust existing ones. The <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> government announced that it
would also assist in equipping these new observatories.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Salvadoran</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>’s
stretched financial situation, coupled with the population’s insistent demands
for relief from crime and violence, require the government to look to foreign
contributors to fund its security programs. The <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
government maintains its historical interest and involvement in regional
security policy, readily funding initiatives pertaining to intelligence
gathering and crime repression – such as the new <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Call</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Monitoring</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, the municipal
observatories – as opposed to crime prevention programs. <st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region> is also part of the Mérida
Initiative, a $1.6 billion <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
anti-drug initiative to combat narcotrafficking throughout <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region> and <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;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>In addition to being the principal
foreign contributor of security aid to the country, the U.S. maintains its own
array of U.S. military and law enforcement outposts in El Salvador: a U.S.
military base near the Comalapa Airport, offices of both the Federal Bureau of
Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the International Law
Enforcement Academy (ILEA), a U.S.-funded facility to train police from El
Salvador and other Latin 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;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h1><a name="_President_Lula_Visits"></a><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>President Lula Visits <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Brazilian President Luiz Inácio <em><i><font
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-style:normal'>Lula da Silva</span></font></i></em><i><span
style='font-style:italic'> </span></i>made an official visit to <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region> on
February 26, 2010. The purpose of the visit was to sign conventions between <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place> in areas including
public health, public transport, agriculture, and technology. Some of the El
Salvador-Brazil cooperation projects include Brazilian technical support for
the Ministry of Agriculture to reactivate this previously neglected sector; aid
and expertise to the Ministry of Health to improve the country’s blood
banking system; and assistance and credit in overhauling the country’s
public transport system. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>
is offering $500 million in credit to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region> of which over $300
million will be used to renew the country’s dilapidated bus fleet, with
the remaining funding destined to social programs.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>During the campaign, Funes cited Lula and
Obama as the principal models for his presidency. Given the country’s
economic dependence on the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
for imports, exports, technical assistance, and aid, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s increased
cooperation with other regional partners has been a priority of the new administration.
Since taking office, the new government has opened relationships with <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Cuba</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Vietnam</st1:country-region>,
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region>, opening up <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
international relations in marked contrast to the ideologically constrained diplomacy
of past Salvadoran presidents.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
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