[Cispes-update] Commemoration of the Sixteenth Anniversary of the Salvadoran Peace Accords

CISPES cispes at cispes.org
Fri Jan 25 08:01:46 EST 2008


FMLN Commemorates the Sixteenth Anniversary of the Salvadoran Peace Accords
CISPES Update
January 24, 2008


On January 16 the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) held a
series of events to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the signing of the
1992 Peace Accords, which ended 12 years of civil war in El Salvador. The
FMLN called for public reflection about the process of constructing peace in
El Salvador. An official event took place at the Cristo por la Paz Monument
in the outskirts of San Salvador and included the participation of FMLN
leaders and base committees, religious leaders, social movement
organizations, and the general public.

Medardo González, General Coordinator of the FMLN, opened the event by
talking about the lack of political will within the government and the
ruling ARENA party to further contribute to the peace process in El
Salvador.  In a separate event, the Salvadoran Human Rights Commission
(CIDH) and other human rights and religious groups accused the ARENA
government of not following through with commitments made in the Peace
Accords, including the recognition of basic human rights and assistance to
families that were victims of the armed conflict.  At the same time, these
organizations asserted that, 16 years after signing the Peace Accords, ³the
acts of repression against people and communities continue, as those who
organize activities which fall within their constitutional rights are
attacked, tortured, and face increasing violence.² According to Ana Julia
Escalante of the CIDH, the number of assassinations in 2007 shows that
³institutionalized mobs and organized crime continue to operate with
impunity, demonstrating the failure of the political and judicial system.²

The ARENA party refused to commemorate the signing of the Peace Accords,
perhaps because its biggest priority continues to be the search for a
presidential candidate.  In recent weeks, various members of the president¹s
cabinet and heads of other important government institutions have resigned
from their positions in order to participate in ARENA¹s internal competition
for the candidacy.  The ex-Foreign Affairs Minister, Francisco Lainez, was
the first ARENA functionary to resign, and ARENA stalwart Hugo Barrera has
also joined the field. The current Vice President, Ana Vilma de Escobar, is
unable to resign her position but has also insisted on competing for the
ARENA candidacy.

At the FMLN¹s commemoration event, the party¹s candidate for the presidency,
Mauricio Funes, reflected on the fact that ARENA has virtually abandoned the
everyday work of governing to immerse itself in the internal battle of
choosing a candidate. Funes also took advantage of the moment to publicly
declare his support for Dr. Violeta Menjivar¹s re-election as the mayor of
San Salvador, the largest city in the country. Funes¹ support comes on the
heels of the enthusiastic approval of various communities, social
organizations (such as the informal market vendors movement), and FMLN base
committees that recently submitted letters of support for the work of San
Salvador¹s first woman mayor.  The letters of support were given to the
FMLN¹s Political Commission and National Council, which promptly ratified
the candidacy of Menjivar for re-election in January 2009.

New increase in bus fare likely

Business owners in the transportation sector recently warned of a
forthcoming 15 cent increase in bus fares. The transportation companies
attribute the need for a fare increase to the state beauracracy¹s failure to
begin providing fuel subsidies, as promised by President Antonio Saca. At
the end of 2007, the government created a new 10 cent-per-gallon gasoline
tax, which is to then be turned over to transportation companies to
alleviate their high fuel costs. Ricardo Erazo, vice-president of the
Salvadoran Transportation Corporation (COSET), announced that the business
owners who comprise COSET will visit the Legislative Assembly to solicit an
expanation as to what is being done with the new tax, since the
transportation companies are not yet receiving the subsidies it was supposed
to create. 

On the other hand, the fuel importation and distribution company created by
FMLN-governed municipalities, in cooperation with Petrocaribe de Venezuela,
is offerning diesel fuel at approximately 30 cents below market price. Known
as the Intermunicipal Energy Association for El Salvador (ENEPASA), this
enterprise imports subsidized fuel from the Venezuelan government and sells
it to the Salvadoran population. The low price charged by ENEPASA has been
well-received by the population, and participating gas stations are not able
to keep up with demand.

The convention signed by ENEPASA and the Venezuelan government is part of
the region-wide Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) initiative,
which seeks to create ties among Latin American countries based on the
principles of solidarity and cooperation. The agreement allows for the
importation of gasoline and the construction of the infrastructure necessary
for receiving, storing and distributing it.

The Salvadoran Chamber of the Transportation Industry and other associations
in the transportation sector recently announced that they have initiated
negotiations with ENEPASA for the direct purchase of diesel. At the same
time, a non-governmental consumer defense organization confirmed that
broader participation in the agreement with Venezuela would signify a
significant annual savings in fuel costs for Salvadoran consumers. Even
though this project is only in its initial phase, the population is already
seeing substantial benefits.

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