By CINDY HAWES
MEXICO CITY — Salvadoran FDR-FMLN
kesperson Hector Oqueli has called President
arte’s peace proposal ‘‘insufficient and limited”
ind he said that the proposals failed to take into
Onsideration the problems that gave rise to the
intry’s four-year-old civil war.
queli participated in the second round of talks
Ayagualo, El Salvador, Nov. 30, between the
*DR-FMLN and the government. Ayagualo is 10
ales Southwest of San Salvador.
queli noted that, despite Duarte’s proposals,
© important agreements did result from the
eting. Both sides accepted a semitruce, allowing
ns to travel freely during the holidays, De-
ber 22 to January 3. They agreed to meet again
established procedures for future meetings ofa
Cial government/FDR-FMLN commission.
ta press conference here, Oqueli, Salvador
Oya and Oscar Acevedo, members of the
DR-FMLN political diplomatic commission, pre-
‘hted a three-stage peace plan, entitled, A
lobal Proposal for a Negotiated Political Solution
Nd Peace.”’
‘Ours is a much more global plan than that of the
8Vernment,”’ said Acevedo. ‘‘We have taken into
count the principal problems of the country.
Some of the proposals include: The convening of
ational forum, ending U.S. military interven-
n, and end to human rights violations, the even-
formation of a new government, constitutional
Orms and the reorganization of the armed
Tees, :
Duarte, on the other hand, only speaks of a
Neral amnesty, repatriation, and participation in

hange he asks for the FMLN to lay down its
ms,’ he added.
Samoya pointed out that Duarte’s one-sided ap-
ach was unrealistic. ““Two armies exist in El
Vador,”’ he said. ‘‘The Pentagon has even men-
ned that we have 10,000 members. Additional
of of the presence of another army is that during
years of civil war, the FMLN has caused
000 army casualties.’

“ctions without guarantees, Acevedo said. ‘‘In.

_ Proposal ‘insufficient’ .
-FDR-FMIN tells Duarte

nl

Salvadoran Revolutionary Democratic Front mem-
bers speak to press in Mexico City. They are (I to r)
Oscar Acevedo, Hector Oqueli and Salvador
Samoya.

Unlike Duarte, the FDR-FMLN hasn’t condi-
tioned its peace proposals on the government army
turning in its arms, he continued. Referring to the
Nov. 30 dialogue, Samoya noted that it was much
more difficult than the previous one in La Palma.
“In our first meeting we didn’t delve into the sub-
stantial matters,’’ he said. “At Ayagualo we did.”’

He emphasized that it was also more difficult
because of the growing pressures by the ultra-right,
who oppose any talks with the FDR-FMLN. Justa
few days before the second dialogue, for example,
The Association of Private Enterprise published
declarations against the talks. ,

Asked about the prospect of the real negotiated
peace in El Salvador, Acevedo replied that it is
related to the disposition and political will of the

-Reagan administration, on which the Salvadoran

government depends. ‘‘On the part of the FDR-
FMLN there is a total disposition to continue and
advance toward negotiations,’’ he said.

“‘We’re giving Duarte the benefit of the doubt,”’ .

Oqueli said. ‘‘Although it’s a long road ahead, we
are one step further toward solving the conflict.
But many more steps are needed to be taken to
convert the dialogue into negotiations.”’

11.

death sentence.

explained Saloojee.

UDF faces treason charge

TORONTO — ‘Recently United States president Reagan, in a
meeting with Nobel Peace Prize recipient Bishop Desmond Tutu,
claimed that the U.S. policy of ‘constructive engagement’ is work-
ing, and is responsible for the release of several political detainees in
South Africa,”” Yusuf Saloojee, Canadian representative of the
African National Congress (South Africa) told the Tribune, Dec.

“Today, the racist regime revealed it has laid charges of high
treason against leaders of the United Democratic Front in the
Transvaal, Dr. Essop Jassat, president of the Transvaal Indian
Congress, Curtis Nkondo and Aubrey Moekene,”’ Saloojee said.
The treason trial is to begin on Dec. 29, 1984 and carries a possible

‘‘In a separate announcement, three of the leaders of the United
Democratic Front, who had walked out of the British consulate
after taking refuge there for some time, N.K. Naido, George Sew-
parsad, and Mr. Ramgobin have also been charged with high
treason,’’ Saloojee continued. ats

‘‘The remaining three persons in the consulate, Archie Gumede,
UDF president and two other leaders of the UDF and Natal Indian
Congress, Billy Nair and Paul Davies have announced they will
walk out of the British consulate on Dec. 12 at 4:30 p.m., South
African time, irrespective of what consequences they face. They
expressed their grave displeasure of the British government at the
handling of their refuge and stated it is an indication that Britain, in
its own economic interests refused to provide the refuge deserved,”

“The UDF leaders also charged that Reagan’s policy of
‘constructive engagement’ is not working and that one of the results
of this policy is the charging of South African leaders with the crime
of high treason,’’ Saloojee concluded.

——

International Focus

Tom Morris

jans?

When Ottawa ordered
anada’s United Nations
‘ambassador for disarmament
to vote on Nov. 20 against a
Motion for a nuclear freeze, it
May have thought that Cana-
dian opinion has somehow
hanged.

In 1983 tens of Canadian
Cities and towns marked their
ballots for disarmament in re-
ferendums across the country.
‘The. percentage favoring the
Step varied, but the ‘‘yes’’ vote
Won every time — often with

uge majorities. On Oct. 20,
1984 the Peace Petition Cara-
Van Campaign presented
423,000 signatures to. the
80vernment. Prime Minister
Mulroney called it ‘‘an
Astonishing effort’’. :

In face of this clear call for
_ what is
astonishing” is that Mul-
ney’s government ignored
the whole process and Canada
found itself voting at the UN
With nine other nations against
111 states who backed the
teeze motion.

_ It raises an interesting ques-
tion: Who ‘do our United Na-
ns representatives rep-
“Sent? In the case of
Sarmament, it certainly isn't
© Canadian people.

Just to make the point per-

fectly clear, Kelowna, B.C.

put the disarmament issue on ”
its civic ballot Nov. 17 (two

days before the UN vote). The
electors backed the proposal
9650 to 2938 — by 76 per cent.
The Canadian people, every
time they’re asked, massively
support steps for freeze and
disarmament. Obviously, so
do other nations at the UN.
The difference is, 111 states

vote the views of their people. -

Canada’s representatives do
not. Democracy, you ask?

: #36, 000,000 ON
SNAPPY UNIFORMS

SAME OLD
TRAOIT/ONAL UNIFORM
FOK oe AKMY OF

The Tory-Liberal
battle tank

~ Worsening the problem, Par-
liament voted 179 to 25 on Dec.
10 against an NDP motion call-
ing on Canada to support a nu-
clear freeze proposal coming
before the UN General As-
sembly next week.

The Tories and Liberals
(with one Liberal backing the
motion) combined to kill the
NDP effort. This means
Canada will stand up at the
General Assembly and, in Ed
Broadbent’s words, ‘‘waltz
with Ronald Reagan’’. The
president’s waltz partner will
be, of course, UN ambas-
sador, Stephen Lewis.

And what were the argu-

“ments against freeze?

Defence Minister Coates
said a freeze would lock in
“existing imbalances” in favor
of the USSR in Europe. The
fact that NATO is- deploying
Cruise and Pershing-IIs there,
have an overall superiority in
weaponry of all kinds in
Europe, escapes Coates. He
wants more, and Canada’s
support for huge NATO spend-
ing increases last month
proves it.

Coates referred to the Pen-
tagon arms sales group touring
Canada as another reason he
opposes a freeze. Arms sales
are good for business, says he;

you can’t have a nuclear freeze
and peddle weapons.

The Liberals opposed the
freeze because it would offend
NATO. Jean Chretien also said
it would undermine Trudeau’s

“peace effort.’’ Believe it or
not. :

And some clown with the

- title of external relations min-

ister rose in Parliament to say
Canada is pursuing a policy
of “creative internationalism”’.
Monique Vezina, a junior to
Joe Clark, went on to tout the
Tory party line that the best
way to peace is to arm to th
teeth. :

That’s Canada’s: 33rd
Parliament.

Defence Dept.
in action

The Tribune receives regu-
lar news releases from Cana-
da’s government departments,
the sort of controlled ‘‘news-
feed’’ sent to all media. Once
ina while they can be illuminat-
ing, often puzzling.

Two such came in last week.
The first from National De-
fence informed us that Canada
will spend $8.2-million for the
purchase of something called
the “‘Nixie torpedo defence
system’”’ for our navy. Nixie,
the ND release says, “‘is a
decoy. towed behind war-
ships’ and is the product of
Aeroject Electrosystems,

' Azusa, Cal.

It’s clever. An enemy, see-
ing a string of decoy ducks
towed behind a destroyer will
die laughing.

* * x

The second release comes
jointly from National Defence
and Transport Canada. It in-
forms us. that the federal
government’s executive flight
services will now be con-
solidated under the Depart-
ment of Defence, not Trans-
-port Canada as in the past.

The first reason given is
“consolidation”’ and the ability
to retire obsolete aircraft. Ho
Hum.

Then comes the ‘‘Another
benefit of the move will be in-
creased security provided.
DND aircraft’, it explains,
“have access to military air-
strips in many parts of the
world ... Transport Canada
does not have the same degree
_of accessibility.’’

We can sympathize with
Mulroney’s ministers’ concern
about their ‘‘security’’. After
many more months of bringing
down the kind of policies
we’ ve seen so far, they’re like-
ly to have one angry popula-
tion on their hands. But access
to military airfields abroad
mystifies. Is someone planning
to flee the country?

Why not string the Nixie de-
coys on the ministers’ aircraft?

- PACIFIC TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 19, 1984 e 19